The Cost of a Box
by Naomitrekkie
Summary: Only the people on the Valiant remembered the Year That Never Was, or were they? One seemingly crazy girl knows more than she should, but at what cost? Whole Whoniverse-currently on HIATUS; not sure when I will be continuing
1. Prologue

**The Cost of a Box**

**Author: Naomitrekkie**

**Series: The whole Whoniverse, with a focus on Doctor Who**

**Rating: K+, to be safe**

**Synopsis: Only the people on the Valiant remembered the Year That Never Was, or were they? One seemingly crazy girl knows more than she should, but at what cost?**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Doctor Who, Torchwood, or The Sarah Jane Adventures, but I wish I did.**

**A/N: A new story. My first for the Whoniverse. I apologize in advance if this doesn't sound very British, but I'm trying.**

**Enjoy!**

**Prologue: Rambling**

"I can't have, I can't have, I can't have. No, it can't be, it must be here. It can't be gone, it can't be," a small blond girl muttered as she frantically searched through her bedroom. What had once been a small, somewhat tidy child's bedroom was now a disaster zone. A tornado would have left less damage. Scattered everywhere were clothes, toys, books, papers, pencils, crayons, and all of the girl's other possessions, all thrown carelessly around. Some things had broken in the panic, but the girl took no notice. She was determined to find it and nothing was more important to her.

"Where is it? It must be here, it must. I can't have lost it, I can't have. It's here, somewhere, but where? Where's it gone?" the girl continued muttering, not even realising she had been thinking aloud. She turned around from the drawer she had been digging through and crawled under her bed, searching every inch underneath. She knew it was around, it had to be. She wouldn't let herself believe she'd lost it.

She turned her whole room inside and out, but she couldn't find it. It was missing. Someone had stolen it, she realised, and she filled with more fear than she'd ever felt in her whole life.

Hours later, her mother called her for dinner, but she did not leave her room. Her mother, growing tired of waiting, walked to her room and entered, determined to get her to come eat. She was shocked speechless by the mess, but one glimpse at her nine year old daughter curled up in the center of the room, rocking back and forth and muttering some sort of unintelligible nonsense brought her back to her senses.

She rushed over to her daughter, but the girl took no notice of her, until she was touched. The girl started screaming and, startled, her mother stepped backwards, breaking a doll that she stepped on by mistake. She couldn't hear the crack over her daughter's screams, nor would she have wanted to. She was too focused on her daughter.

Suddenly aware of her surroundings, the girl started rambling to her mother, her terror evident.

"Mum, they're coming, they're coming. The got it, and now they're coming. They're gonna get me, Mum. They're gonna kill me. I've gotta get it back. It's the only way. They're coming, they're coming to get me. Mum, we've gotta go, go far away. They've got it, and they'll come for me next. We have to go, we have to go now, before they find me. They'll kill me. They took it so they could kill me. I've gotta get it back. I need it or else they'll kill me. They're coming, Mum, they're coming."

"Who's coming, dear? Who's coming to get you?" her mother asked, grabbing hold of her daughter's arms to stop her pacing and keep her in place.

"The Toclafane, Mum, the Toclafane. They're gonna get me and bring me to him, then he's gonna kill me. He knows I know, Mum. We've gotta run. There's only one person who can save us. We have to find him, we have to. Mum, we've gotta go, or they'll kill me. We need to find the Doctor, he can save me. Martha said so. She promised. She said he'd save us. We have to find him, Mum. He's the only one who can save me."

Her mother watched in fear as her daughter started speaking her fears quicker and more to herself as her pacing began once more. The only thing she could make out from what her daughter was saying was "They've taken it," "They're coming for me," and "I need the Doctor." It made no sense to her, but she was terrified for her daughter. Her daughter was having a relapse and there was nothing she could do, except call them again. She didn't want to, but this was worse than ever before.

**To Be Continued . . .**

**So, what do you think? The Doctor'll be in the next chapter, I promise!**


	2. Chapter 1: And It Begins

**The Cost of a Box**

**Author: Naomitrekkie**

**Series: The whole Whoniverse, with a focus on Doctor Who**

**Rating: K+, to be safe**

**Synopsis: Only the people on the Valiant remembered the Year That Never Was, or were they? One seemingly crazy girl knows more than she should, but at what cost?**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Whoniverse. I wish I did, but I don't. Thanks for those who read and reviewed!**

**Enjoy!!!!!**

**Chapter 1: And It Begins . . .**

"Time to say good bye to Queen Elizabeth," the Doctor said, now safe in the TARDIS. He pressed some controls to get away, not sure where he wanted to go next.

"Why not?" he asked to no one. Although he was still companionless, having been so for years from his perspective, he couldn't rid himself of the habit of talking to himself. It made the large TARDIS feel a bit less empty. "Here we go."

Setting the controls to random, he took off from the aimless floating he'd been doing in the time vortex. Holding on, he felt the TARDIS shake as it flew, but nothing was too strong. It was an almost boring journey. Soon, he found he'd landed. Checking to make sure it was safe first, he went outside.

He found himself in a beautiful place. The area was lush and green, the sky a dark purple. People were everywhere, and just down the hill from where the TARDIS parked was some sort of festival. Wanting to get a better look, he locked the TARDIS and headed towards the crowd.

Something about the way he was walking toward the crowd of people and the music in the background reminded him of something from many years past, a lifetime, in fact. He remembered walking with Rose during the London Blitz, her questioning his plan of action. The conversation replayed vividly in his mind, and he couldn't help but smile at Rose's requests for alien-tech and Spock.

Realizing where he was, he tried to shake the memory from the front of his mind before he felt the pain of losing Rose again. He thought of her like he did his own people — it was always in his mind, but he tried to consciously face it as little as possible to keep the pain locked away. He used his reasoning to convince himself she was better off with him. Sometimes it drove him crazy to know he'd lost her to himself, but what was worse was knowing he'd given her to him.

Snapping himself out of it, he noticed a little redheaded girl playing with some friends nearby. He walked toward her, intent on learning where he was.

"Hello there," he began, getting the girl's attention and causing her to turn around, "you wouldn't happen to be able to tell me where I am?"

The girl's face had, at first, seemed agitated, as if bothered by the interruption. Then, when actually seeing him, it changed from agitation to one of frustrated puzzlement, then one of horror, causing her to take a step back.

"Oh my Man," the girl said in complete shock, her voice quiet.

The Doctor looked around him, making sure she actually meant him and not some sort of crazy, alien monster thing, then looked back at her, inquisitively.

"What is it?"

"You're him. You're really him," she said, her voice gaining volume and confidence. "I can't believe it. You're really here."

"I'm sorry, but do I know you?" he asked, not sure whether the girl actually knew him, or thought she did.

"No, well, I think not, but we all know you. You're the Man."

"I'm the Man?" the Doctor repeated, keeping himself from laughing.

Suddenly, she seemed hesitant, as if she wanted to ask a question but couldn't bring herself to say the words. Before he could do anything, she took a step toward him, then another, and using one finger on her right hand, touched his right hand.

Feeling his skin beneath her finger, he eyes widened in shock and she hurriedly stepped back from him.

"You're really real," the girl said, amazed as if she had expected him to disappear.

"Well, I was last time I checked," the Doctor remarked. The girl just stood there, staring at him with her large, green eyes.

Only seconds latter, another girl, a brunette, came up to the redhead.

"Hey, Jen, what are you doing just standing there?" she asked, totally ignoring the Doctor's presence. The redhead — Jen — simply pointed toward the Doctor. The other girl followed her finger until she saw the Doctor, at which point she froze in place.

"What is with everyone here?" the Doctor asked to no one. He didn't know what he'd done, but he had a feeling he had, or more precisely, will be going to visit this planet's past sometime in his future. Sometimes these time paradoxes annoyed him more than he would like to admit. "Have I got something on my face?"

"Oh my Man, I can't believe this," the second girl said. A few more children came toward them, only these two weren't human. They were a familiar race, humanoid and scaly, talking through a sort of chamber filled with water and bubbled when speaking.

He realized what they were, and suddenly things made sense. They were Hath, and he was on Messaline, some years after his previous visit.

-------------------------------------

Luke was becoming impatient. Time was moving too slowly for him. It was so bad he was pacing back and forth through the front room in anticipation. Clyde sat on the couch, watching him, shaking his head.

"You know, this is so uncool," Clyde commented, knowing it wouldn't stop him.

"I don't care. She'd said she'd be here at six and it's one minute past."

"It's only a minute, Luke. She'll get here."

"But when?" Luke demanded.

"How should I know?" Clyde said, silently praying she arrive soon.

Suddenly, the front door opened, and Luke turned around, his face lit up with excitement. His face fell, however, when she saw who was there.

"Oh, hello Mum," Luke managed.

"'Oh, hello Mum'? What kind of greeting is that?" Sarah Jane asked, leaving the door open as she walked toward him.

"Sorry. I though you were Maria," Luke said, his disappointment evident. Sarah Jane understood and was in "Mum" mode.

"Luke, she'll get here soon. She has to come pick Rani up, and even if she didn't, we're going to see her at the rehearsal in an hour."

"I know, Mum, I just—"

"Can't wait to see her, we know mate, we know," Clyde said.

"Who can't you wait to see?" a familiar voice asked from behind Sarah Jane. Luke recognized it upon hearing it, needing to turn towards her to be sure she was really there.

"Maria!" he exclaimed, running toward her, pulling her into a hug so powerful it lifted her from the ground and spun her around.

"Luke, it's great to see you too," Maria said once her feet returned to the ground, meaning all her words. Next she hugged Sarah Jane like a daughter hugged a mother she hadn't seen for years, with Sarah Jane hugging her back in the same way.

"It's good to see you again, Sarah Jane," Maria said after they separated from their hug.

"It's good to see you too, Maria," Sarah Jane said, just as happily.

"Oh, am I just a coat rack now?" Clyde asked, not wanting to make his feeling left out too obvious.

"Clyde," Maria said, walking over and hugging him. "Who could forget you? Oh, and here's my coat."

"Ha ha, very funny," Clyde said, although he was secretly laughing along with everyone else.

"So what's been going on?" Maria asked. "Any secret alien invasions?"

"None this week," Clyde said, "but who knows what tomorrow will bring."

"Hopefully, the aliens will decide to stay away for another day. We can't very well have a groomsman off chasing aliens," Maria said, smiling at Luke. He still hadn't realized the full extent of what being a groomsman meant, and probably hadn't figured out that she'd asked Ivan to pick Luke as one, so she, as a bridesmaid, could walk with him down the isle like the bridesmaids and groomsmen always did. He was going to be in for a shock later, but something told Maria Luke wouldn't mind dancing with her at the reception, at least, that's what she figured from what Clyde and Rani told her. Apparently Luke had been taking dancing lessons from Rani to get ready for the wedding. Maria would see how much Luke had been able to learn later, not that it mattered much. She was just looking forward to dancing with Luke.

------------------------------------

"We're not safe!" she yelled. "He's coming! He's coming back!" She knew it was useless, but she had to warn them. Maybe, just maybe someone would listen and save themselves. She might be trapped there in that room, but she knew there was hope. They'd been saved before and she knew the Doctor could save them again.

That is, if the Doctor ever showed up. With it gone, the Doctor was her only hope. The Doctor and Martha. If anyone were to save her, they would be the ones.

She only hoped they got there in time.

**To Be Continued . . .**

**Please review and tell me what you think!!!! :D**


	3. Chapter 2: How Plans Change

**The Cost of a Box**

**Author: Naomitrekkie**

**Series: The whole Whoniverse, with a focus on Doctor Who**

**Rating: K+, to be safe**

**Synopsis: Only the people on the Valiant remembered the Year That Never Was, or were they? One seemingly crazy girl knows more than she should, but at what cost?**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Doctor Who or the Whoniverse (if only!).**

**A/N: Thanks to everyone who's read and reviewed! :D**

**Enjoy!**

**Chapter 2: How Plans Change**

Suddenly, everyone noticed the Doctor. Everyone was staring at him, as if he were not real. He did not like all of the attention, contrary to whatever beliefs his companions might have had. There was a reason he didn't want everyone knowing who he was, and this was it.

"Great Doctor," Jen said, bringing the Doctor back to her from the masses of people.

"It's just 'Doctor,'" he corrected.

"Doctor, would you like to look around? Perhaps see inside?"

"Why not?" the Doctor asked. It might do him some good to see the civilization he'd helped fix.

"I'm sure my father would like to see you again. He's the Elected Leader," she told him proudly.

"Then lead on," the Doctor commanded and Jen was more than happy to comply. It wasn't every day the Great Doctor wanted a tour of the new Messaline.

--------------------------------

Jen was leading the Doctor around, explaining everything as she went. It was all so different than he remembered, but that last time he'd been there, there had been fighting a war and living underground. Obviously, they'd been expanding.

Some where along their journey, Jen said something that shocked even the Doctor.

"My full name's Jenny, you know. After her," she said, pointing up. The Doctor didn't know what to expect, but it wasn't this. It was a statue of Jenny. His Jenny.

He went to read the dedicative plack, but Jen seemed to be getting anxious and pulled him away with more strength than expected from an eight year old. Of course, considering her parentage, strength was to be expected, but the Doctor had been distracted.

"Come on, you don't keep the EL waiting."

"Eel?" the Doctor asked, as she dragged him along.

"Not 'eel,' it's E-L, as in Elected Leader," she corrected, then realized who she was talking to. "Sorry."

"Sorry? What for?"

Jenny stopped and simply looked at the Doctor. The Doctor could see she was puzzled but he just didn't get it. Had he broken some sort of forbidden law or something?

"You're the Man," she said, and the Doctor made a mental note to pick his words better when starting a new civilization. These almost laughing fits would kill him. "It's not right to talk back to adults."

"Whoever said I was an adult?" the Doctor asked, getting her to smile. "I'm just nine hundred years of bottled up childhood."

"Yet the wisest man on the planet," she said and they started walking again. "I heard all about you. We all did, us children. We grew up to hear your story. You could have done it, but you didn't. You saw what they couldn't. You made everything better. You fixed Messaline and made us all better. You're the best doctor, and the most important, Great Doctor."

"Please, just 'Doctor,'" he insisted. For the first time, he noticed they were being watched and had been their whole walk. How had he missed that?

There wasn't time to worry as soon they were walking inside, beyond the eyes of the public.

Jenny lead him in and it took it a moment to recognize where he was. He was in the Room. The Room where It happened. He wouldn't let himself think about it, he just wouldn't. It hurt too much. The fact the young girl in front of him was named after his daughter didn't hurt too much because she didn't look a thing like his Jenny.

Footsteps came from someplace but the Doctor took no notice. Not until Jenny's excited voice cut through the otherwise silent room.

"Father, someone's come to visit. The Man, Dad. It's him, the Gr-Doctor," she said and the Doctor turned to where Jenny stood with a middle-aged man. Somehow, the Doctor thought he knew him. He looked so familiar.

"Doctor, it is good to see you again," the man said, coming over to shake his hand.

Then the Doctor figured it out. "Cline, Cline, Cline, Elected Leader? You've sure gone up in the world since I was last here."

"Yes, I have, but there are more important things at the moment. Please, come with me," he said to the Doctor before turning to his daughter. "Jenny, why don't you go back and celebrate the festival?"

"Do I have to, Dad?"

"Would you rather do something else?"

"Yes. I want to go with you guys. I want to see his face when—"

"Jenny," Cline said urgently, cutting her off. The Doctor wondered what it was she was going to say, but he figured he would find out soon enough, not that he wasn't curious. If they were just going to stop talking, their really wasn't much he could do about it. "Doctor, I must talk to Jenny alone. I'll only be a moment."

"I understand," the Doctor said and he really did. He had been a father, after all. He knew what it was like. So he knew he shouldn't be listening, but his wandering mind wanted to take a trip down memory lane, picking all the worst memories. Remembering Donna and Jenny, then Rose and Gallifrey. He had to stop thinking about it all, and so he accidently heard part of Cline and Jenny's conversation.

". . . still alive. It will cheer him up. Why can't I see that?" Jenny practically demanded.

"Because the Doctor deserves to be on his own when he reunites. Now, if you want to do something, talk to the Elder."

Jenny looked at her father as if she was going to argue some more, but sighed and walked off. Cline came back towards the Doctor after readjusting his facial expressions.

"Come on, Doctor. There's someone here who would like to see you, and they've been waiting a long time."

As the Doctor followed Cline, he couldn't help wonder who it could be. It couldn't be her, could it?

------------------------------------------------

"So Luke, how have you been?" Maria asked at the rehearsal dinner. She spoke with Luke everyday through email at least so she could sort of piece it together, but she still had to ask. There was a big difference between talking through email and in person.

"Aliens and the usual, but I've missed you," Luke said, trying his hardest not to sound as sad about her being so far away.

"I missed you too," she said, "but I'm here now. Let's talk and hang out, like the good ol' days."

"Minus the alien invasions?" he joked and Maria laughed.

"Possibly, although I wouldn't mind a visit from the universe, would you?"

"I don't care as long as you're here," he said, getting Maria to smile. It was his favorite of her smiles. After that, they started talking about everything and anything — from school to aliens and beyond — and throughly enjoying it.

At a nearby table, Rani and Clyde were talking. Talking and watching Luke and Maria.

"I see what you mean," Rani said. "He's head over heels in love with her." Until she saw it with her own eyes, she hadn't believed it t be true. She had met Maria before, but never in person. Actually seeing her with Luke allowed her to see what Clyde had been telling her all along — and helped her understand why Luke would want to learn to dance.

"If only they could see it too, then they'd be going somewhere," Clyde commented, which gave Rani and idea. She was going to be staying over with Maria and their would be plenty of time for conversation and Rani knew Luke was going to come up. She was going to get Maria's perspective, but it was more than that, too. She started to create a plan to make Maria and Luke get together. It was summer break, after all, and Maria didn't plan to leave anytime soon, so there would be more than enough time for their plan to work. Rani filled Clyde in, who agreed with her.

By working together, Luke and Maria would be a couple in less than a week, two at the most. Rani smiled to herself, liking the plan more and more every minute.

-------------------------

The girl sat in the room staring out into the nothingness. The room had no windows and possessed no sharp edges. The walls weren't padded, but they were bear and white. The room felt cold, but she took no notice. The only thing the room achieved was to make her more frightened. She would never know the exact moment they would be coming for her, but she knew they would be coming.

She needed to get out of the room, but the Doctors would never let her out. However, she'd spent more than enough time here to learn the schedules of the staff, and from that she could judge the time of day. That and the fact the food changed slightly depending on the meal.

Her midnight snack would be coming soon, most likely a few chocolate chip cookies or something. She knew better than to eat them, knowing them to be filled with lots of drugs. She wasn't sure what kind, but she wasn't about to take them. There wasn't anything wrong with her, beyond of course, the fact that the Master was coming to get her. He was coming to get them all, only this time, he was different. She didn't know what he looked like now, but she knew she would recognize him when she saw him.

If only someone hadn't stolen it! Her protector had been the only thing keeping the Master away, and now it was gone. Someone had taken it, which, of course, was the reason she was stuck here now.

But she was going to get out. She was going to break free and find someplace safe to hide. She was too exposed in the psycho ward, especially since she wasn't crazy.

She would never know why her mother continued to send her here. She wasn't crazy and she knew it, but no one else seemed to understand that. She'd never be able to go back to her old school once people found out she'd been locked away again, not that it mattered at the moment.

The door opened and she knew it was time. She looked at the man who'd brought her the snack and smiled at him, a shy smile of gratitude. As she walked over to it, she "accidently" tripped and cried out, causing the man to come towards her. He got down on the floor and went to check on her knee, which "hurt so much!" When he was distracted, she dashed for the door, then locked the door behind her. Before anyone could be alerted of her jailbreak, she ran. She had to get someplace else, but she hadn't thought the getting out part of the plan. She was only nine years old, where would she go?

She didn't think and simply ran, taking the stairs to get to another level.

That's when she saw it. The pediatric ward. She could hide in there. She would look just like any other sick kid. All she would have to do is hide from the staff.

She snuck into the ward and found an empty office. It was dark inside but she managed to see a desk and hid under it. She knew she would be safe there, at least until the office's owner returned for their next shift, but she would think about that in the morning. For now, she would sleep.

------------------------------------

The rehearsal dinner was over and Rani was in the hotel room with Maria. Maria's father Allen was in the room next door, which they could get to through a two door opening connecting the rooms. The girls had plans to door each other nails and gossip, for the most part. They had loads to gab about, after all. There were aliens, life in America, and boys. Luke of course would definitely be talked about. A lot.

"So, what's it like, being back and all?"

"It's kinda nice. It's only for the summer, I know, but it's still great. My mate Quin's not that happy 'bout it though. She's trying to get me to become a Trek fan." Maria shook her head at the thought, having to laugh as she remembered her friend's repeated attempts to get her to become obsessed over the show. Maria would happily watch, but she wouldn't just spend her free time viewing every episode fifty trillion times.

"You told her that aliens are real and stuff?"

"Didn't have to. We met some."

"Really?"

"Yeah. Wasn't really that exciting."

"Did ya tell Luke 'bout it?"

"Almost, then thought better of it."

"Why? He knows a lot about aliens, ya'know."

"Yeah, I know. I didn't want him to worry 'bout me. I knew he would."

"Yeah, he would," Rani said, a smile crossing her face. Then, Rani never would know what possessed her to say it, she added, "You two should go out."

"Excuse me?" Maria asked, unable to believe what she'd just heard.

"Maria, it's obvious to the whole wide world that you guys belong together. C'mon, did ya think we wouldn't figure out how Luke became a groomsman when he's never met Ivan?"

Maria was speechless. She hadn't hoped she'd been _that _obvious.

"Don't worry," Rani continued, as if reading Maria's mind, "I don't think Luke's figured it out, but I'd bet my left hand Sarah Jane has."

Maria didn't mind this as much. She liked Sarah Jane, almost like a mother. It was only right that Sarah Jane knew. If she told Luke, that was something else entirely. Something told her Sarah Jane would keep her secret. Even journalists didn't report everything.

With that object of gossip down, they spent the rest of night talking about anything and everything that came to mind before falling asleep at sometime after three in the morning.

-------------------------------------------------

The Doctor followed Cline up a staircase to a secret room. He followed Cline in, and couldn't believe what he saw.

**To Be Continued . . .**

**I'm evil, just leaving it there, I know. Please review! I'll update as soon as I can, but it probably won't be until the weekend, just warning you guys! **

**Smiles! **

**~ Naomitrekkie :D**


	4. Chapter 3: Just More Mysteries

**The Cost of a Box**

**Author: Naomitrekkie**

**Series: The whole Whoniverse, with a focus on Doctor Who**

**Rating: K+, to be safe**

**Synopsis: Only the people on the Valiant remembered the Year That Never Was, or were they? One seemingly crazy girl knows more than she should, but at what cost?**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Doctor Who or the Whoniverse (only in my dreams . . .).**

**A/N: Thanks to everyone who's read and reviewed! :D You guys rock!!!! Here's that update I promised! Special thanks to Lynette McGregor and TARDISgirl192 who reviewed and got me to work on this today! This is for you guys!**

**Enjoy!**

**Chapter 3: Just More Mysteries**

The Doctor followed Cline up a staircase to a secret room. He followed Cline in, and couldn't believe what he saw. Standing, more or less, in front of him was the one who'd died, for what he believed the last time.

"Hello again, old friend," the familiar voice spoke in his head.

"The Face of Boe," the Doctor began, "or should I call you Jack?"

"It has been too long, yet not long at all."

"It's good to talk to someone who understands the nature of time," the Doctor said, not having noticed Cline's leaving. Inside his mind, he scolded himself for letting himself get his hopes up. He'd seen her die. She had died in her arms, and nothing could ever bring her back. It was impossible.

The Face of Boe knew what the Doctor was thinking, but there was no way he could help his friend. Sometimes it was annoying to have to be living in two times, both his past and future. He knew he'd be doing it again soon.

"SO," the Doctor began, trying to cheer himself up, and the Face of Boe — Jack, whomever — recognized him as the same man he knew oh so long ago, who, in fact, was the exact same man, both younger and older than when he knew him. "How long were you dead after saving New Earth?"

"Just two weeks," the Face communicated into the Doctor's head. Becoming telepathic had been one of the added bonuses of his old age. If not for the Doctor and his constant visits — in both his past and present — he wasn't sure what he'd do. He lost everyone eventually. He'd lost everyone eventually, but he wasn't going to think about that now. He had things to do, things to tell the Doctor. Important things. The only way to save himself — and everyone — was to communicate this message to the Doctor, a message which waited millions of years to be delivered. That could wait, though. For now, he had some catching up to do.

"How exactly did you end up here, on Messaline? In the past, well, past from your perspective, anyway."

"Doctor, now if I told you that, I would ruin the surprise, now wouldn't I?"

The Doctor had to think about this. It could mean many things, but it obviously had something to do with events yet to occur on his timeline. Sometimes it was quite frustrating to travel through time, meeting people you've met but haven't met you or vise versa. Once, when he was younger he might have taken it as a sign he would live on, but he'd learned since then. He knew that there was more to time than that. Just because something happened doesn't mean it couldn't unhappen. In his long life, he'd learned a lot, especially about paradoxes.

"We have much to discuss, old friend."

----------------------------------------------------------------------

The girl woke up with a start. The office door was opening and someone was coming in. She had no idea of the time or the identity of the person walking in, but it couldn't be good. She prayed it wasn't security, and scolded herself for being so careless as to fall asleep. She knew they'd be after her, so why had she let her guard down?

She tried to stop herself from blaming herself. It wouldn't do her any good now. She tried to stay as silent as she could and as still. She didn't want to give herself away.

However, the person didn't seem to be leaving anytime soon. Then, at the worst possible time, she had to sneeze. She tried to hold it back. She tried with all her might, but it was no use. She sneezed anyway.

The footsteps stopped and the girl did not dare move an inch. The footsteps came ever closer and suddenly she was face to face with the owner of the office.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Rani and Maria woke up early the next morning. They had to get ready. After their late night gab session, they needed to spend some extra time to make sure they looked as if they'd gotten a full night's sleep instead of running on adrenaline. It took a while, but by the time they had to leave for the wedding, the girls were ready. Maria was all dressed in her pink bride's maid dress and Rani in her wedding-goer outfit, which happened to be a purple dress. Both girls were glad they wouldn't have to see Clyde for a while.

As they looked at themselves in the mirror, they were both thinking the same thing. If Clyde said anything about their wearing dresses, they'd teach him a lesson. More like their fists would.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

The way Luke was a complete and total bundle of nerves would have given any one watching him the impression that he was the one getting married. Sarah Jane was busy getting ready herself, which left Clyde to watch Luke as he pace back and forth.

_If Sarah Jane isn't ready soon, I think Luke'll make a hole in the floor_, Clyde thought to himself. It was driving him crazy having to watch Luke act like this.

"Admit it, Luke, you wanna ask her out," Clyde finally said, just so that he'd stop pacing. It wasn't exactly his and Rani's plan, but their plan wasn't going to work with Luke in this condition.

"What makes you say that?" Luke asked. Clyde made a note that Luke hadn't asked who he was talking about.

"C'mon, Luke, it's as plain as day. You like Maria a lot more than you'll admit and I've got it from reliable sources that she likes you too. How do you think you became a groomsman?"

Luke stopped to think about that. How had he become a groomsman? He'd never met Ivan until Ivan contacted him about being a groomsman. Had it been Maria?

Before Luke and Clyde could talk any more, Sarah Jane had walked into Luke's room, announcing she was ready to go. With that, they all barreled into Sarah Jane's car, heading off to a wedding.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Who are you and what are you doing under my desk?" the man asked. The girl looked at him, trying to think of something to say. She decided to crawl out from under the desk, hoping to buy herself some time.

As she crawled out, she noticed that the man she was talking to was a Doctor, and not security. That calmed her nerves slightly.

"I was hiding," the girl simply said.

"What from?"

"The Master," she answered honestly. People might think she was crazy, but she knew she wasn't. She might as well warn them while she had their attention.

"Well, then, Miss . . ."

The girl sighed. He wanted her name. It figured he'd want her name. She gave it to him, just so he'd be happy while she told him everything else.

"Arianna Roberts."

"Well, then, Arianna, it looks like you've come to the right place. We'll help protect you from this 'Master.'"

Arianna shook her head.

"But that's just it, you can't. There's only two people who can help us."

"And who would that be?"

"Martha Jones and her Doctor."

The doctor looked at this young blonde with a sort of terror in his eye. He called for security, who came before Arianna could escape. The doctor continued to hear the girl's words repeated in his head, but they couldn't be true. He'd looked up the girl's record, which claimed she was being treated in the psychiatric ward. That proved the girl was crazy. He tried to keep their encounter from his thoughts, but he couldn't shake what the girl had said.

------------------------------------------------------------

The wedding had gone off without a problem. Luke had walked Maria down the isle during the procession of bridesmaids and groomsmen, and Chrissie had married Ivan. All was well in the world.

The reception was the fun part, for the teens, anyway. Clyde and Rani had done their parts and now Maria and Luke were dancing — and to a slow song. Of all people, Allen had been the one to point it out to Sarah Jane, who was more than happy for them. She couldn't believe it when Clyde told her that it had been Luke who'd asked Maria to dance.

But it had been true. Luke had asked Maria, who had been more than happy to accept. Caught up in the excitement of the room, Rani even asked Clyde to dance — not to a slow song, but either way, she was glad her father wasn't there to see — and by the time it was time for cake, the four teenagers were running on more excitement than should be allowed and didn't need the extra sugar, which they happily ate.

The whole reception had been a blast and Clyde had been smart enough not to comment about the girl's dresses. Luke had told Maria she looked beautiful, which caused her to blush. Luke had, of course, asked her why her cheeks had flushed, causing Maria to laugh and smile, saying, "My Luke." His question was never answered, but he didn't mind.

When the reception was over, the teenagers were upset about having to leave, until they remembered that they were all going over to Sarah Jane's.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Doctor's conversation with the Face of Boe had been more fun that the Doctor had had in a while. Since losing everyone, he hadn't just had time to talk, with anyone.

He had been turning to go, when the Face stopped him. The Doctor had been hoping that for once he could just visit an old friend for a social visit (even if it hadn't started that way) without some sort of disaster popping up.

"Before you go, there is one more thing I must tell you. Three are returning from the Beyond."

Before the Doctor could ask what that meant, he got a message on his psychic paper.

_Come to me_, it said. The Doctor didn't believe his eyes when he saw what was drawn next to it.

It was a rose.

That only meant one thing, and the Doctor knew he had to be off. The TARDIS was waiting, and so was the person who'd sent the message.

**To Be Continued . . .**

**OK, so this definitely came sooner than I originally planned. I've gotta work on homework now, so that's all for now. I'll update this weekend. See you guys then! Please remember to review!**

**Smiles,**

**~Naomitrekkie :D**


	5. Chapter 4: Developments

**The Cost of a Box**

**Author: Naomitrekkie**

**Series: The whole Whoniverse, with a focus on Doctor Who**

**Rating: K+, to be safe**

**Synopsis: Only the people on the Valiant remembered the Year That Never Was, or were they? One seemingly crazy girl knows more than she should, but at what cost?**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Doctor Who or the Whoniverse (only in my dreams . . .).**

**A/N: Thanks to everyone who's read! Please remember to read/review!**

**Enjoy!**

**Chapter 4: Developments**

The Doctor had rushed back to the TARDIS as fast as he could. He had been too busy to say good bye to Cline or his daughter. He had managed to get out some sort of explanation for the Face of Boe before running out, but he suspected the Face knew what was going to happen. He had lived millions of years, after all.

The Doctor put all other things from his mind. The message hadn't specified where to go, but whoever was sending must have knew there was a way for him to fid them. His wouldn't allow himself to think he was going to see Rose, but his hearts hoped. They yearned to believe it true. It was supposed to be impossible, but what was impossible to determined people. Hadn't he said it was impossible for her to come back to the Game Station? Yet she had. If Rose Tyler set her mind to do something, she would find a way.

So he traced the telepathic signal all the way to a little planet out in the middle of nowhere. He landed in a dead forest, that appeared to be completely dead. Everything was gray and old. There was no spirit here. The Doctor went back into the TARDIS to be sure it has landed in the correct place, and it had. The telepathic signal was coming from someplace close by.

He stepped back out into the barren wasteland, searching for whatever could be sending the signal. He walked away from the TARDIS, managing to unknowingly have walked father than he realized, when he saw something move. Something colorful. At first he believed to have imagined it, but then he saw something coming toward him from behind a tree.

It was a small girl, no older than six years old, wearing denim overalls and a pink shirt. Her hair was up in pigtails and her brown eyes sparkled.

"Daddy, Mummy wants to know when he's gona get here," the girl said simply. The Doctor just looked at the girl, unable to find the words. All he could think was, _Did she just call me Daddy?_

-------------------------------------------------------

Sarah Jane had took them the four teens back to her place, and Maria was able to really take it all in. Before she hadn't really gotten to see the place — how much it changed while how much it stayed the same. They had, of course, gone up to the attic — if not to be surrounded by alien artifacts just to say hello to Mr. Smith — and Maria smiled at it all. She recognized some of the alien gizmos, some brought back memories, and some were alien to her. She would ask about them later.

"Sarah Jane, you're back," Mr. Smith's voice announced. "Hello again, Maria."

"Hello, Mr. Smith," Maria's cheery voice answered.

"Sarah Jane, I have reason to believe aliens are behind an new telepathic device at Pharos, funded by Blane O'Donn."

Sarah Jane remembered the last time she had a conversation like this with Mr. Smith, and it had not ended well. Well, in the end-end, everything worked out, but the fact remained that it had been a trap set up by Mr. Smith. Mr. Smith had turned good, however, but Sarah Jane was still weary, as were Luke, Clyde, and Maria. They didn't want the moon to come crashing into them.

"What makes you say that?"

"I have been following their results and it would appear Pharos has managed to create a device that allows a person to utilize their latent telepathic abilities. Not only that, the research shows the device can focus on specialized targets and can work on people anywhere on the planet."

Sarah Jane considers it.

"And what do you suggest I do, Mr. Smith?"

"Investigate."

"And if it does seem from alien origin?"

"What you do best, Sarah Jane."

Sarah Jane laughed, shaking her head. At least he wasn't condoning stealing in front of their four teenage friends, even though they all knew what Mr. Smith ment.

Sarah Jane turned to the teens, who all knew the story. It's too dangerous, I'm going solo, be back later. Twenty minutes later, Sarah Jane's speech ended with, "Don't forget to talk to K9, in case I'm not back in time."

She was walking out the door, which left four teenagers in the huge house, all alone. And they were still all dressed up.

The boys were the first to complain. Well, Clyde, was the first to complain, so Luke saved the day by suggesting that everyone change. They did so, then poped a movie in the player. It was going to be a long night, and aliens or no, they were going to act like normal, everyday teenagers.

---------------------------------------------------------

The doctor finished his shift and returned home. After sending Arianna Roberts back to the psychiatric ward, his day had been pretty routine. He checked up on his kids in the pediatric ward, as well as had a few appointments to deal with. All in all, routine. However, what Arianna had said still played in the back of his mind the entire day.

Arriving home, he was surprised to find his fiancé already home. She sometimes had worse hours than him and it was rare that they both got home at a decent hours.

His fiancé smiled at him from her place in front of the telly, having expected him to be later. Summer tended to be one of his busier seasons, considering summer break gave children more time to hurt themselves. Summer was also one of her busier seasons too, considering she, too, was a doctor.

"Hello, sweetheart," he said.

"Hello, then. It looks like we can have that dinner," she said, getting up and turning the telly off.

"That it does. I'm surprised good ol' Captain Jack was going to keep you at Torchwood all day."

"He wanted to, but I set him straight. Gwen and I ganged up on him," she said with a mischievous smile. He knew all about Captain Jack and his flirtatious manner, but he trusted his fiancé and didn't worry about it.

"So, Tom, anything interesting happen today?"

Tom considered leaving out his encounter with Arianna, but it had spooked him enough into mentioning, just to see his fiancé's reaction.

"Actually, there was this thing this morning. A girl had escaped from the psychiatric ward and was hiding in my office. I found her there this morning. It was interesting, to say the least. She kept rattling on about needing to hide, from some 'Master' bloke."

"Don't tell me she was a child abuse victim," his fiancé said. She loved kids with all her heart and hated seeing them hurt.

"I checked her record. There's no evidence of it in any of her records. She just is terrified of some 'Master.' The really interesting part was that she knew only two people could help her."

"Did she say who?"

"Yes, she did. She said something about a Doctor and one Martha Jones."

His fiancé froze in place. She looked at him as if in horror.

"She said me? My name? Are you sure?"

"Absolutely. She said, and I quote, 'There's only two people who can help us. Martha Jones and her Doctor.' I'm not who she ment, considering she was in a hospital and all, but that's what she said."

"Are you sure she said 'her Doctor?' It's important, really important, Tom. I have to know," Martha said with urgency.

"Yeah, that's exactly how she said it."

"And the bit about the 'Master.' How did she say it? How exactly did she say it?"

"Just, 'the Master.'"

Martha was standing in a heartbeat, reaching for her phone. She pressed her speed dial, and impatiently waited for the other end to pick up. When it did, she didn't even bother to let them say a word.

"Jack, it's Martha. Someone's remembered. Someone remembered the Master."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. It's a girl, she's at Saint Helen's hospital and she remembers."

"But how can you be sure?"

"I haven't spoke to her yet, but she knew my name and she knew the Doctor. She said we were the only ones who could help."

"Alright, meet me at the hospital. We're going to talk to this girl."

With that, the both hung up. Martha gave her fiancé a kiss before running out the door.

--------------------------------------------------------------

"Daddy?" the girl repeated when the Doctor remained silent. "Daddy?"

The Doctor wasn't sure what to do. He just kinda stared at the girl, at a complete loss for words. The girl started shouting for her mother, and a familiar voice appeared from behind him.

"DJ, what's the matter?"

"Something's wrong with Daddy. He's not saying anything."

"DJ, he's trying to focus. There's no need to panic."

The Doctor turned around and in delighted disbelief he found Rose standing there, talking to the little girl. He smiled at the sight, even though he knew he wasn't the father. His Rose was happy, and that's what mattered.

"You're a Mum," he said, causing Rose to look up. Her reaction was a mix of excitement and shock.

"Doctor? It's been too long," she said, hugging him. "You look exactly the same."

"So do you," he responded, not realizing how true it really was. She brushed the comment off, instead introducing him to the girl by her side.

"It looks like you met DJ."

"Oh, I ran into her."

"DJ, this is the Doctor," Rose said to the girl, and recognition crossed her face.

"You mean the original one, right? The one you knew? The one Daddy's calling?"

"Yes, sweetie."

The little girl smiled and waved up to the Doctor, although she was only a foot or two away.

"I'm Donna Jacqueline Smith, but everyone calls me DJ."

"Well, DJ, I'm the Doctor." He smiled at the little girl, thinking how much she looks like her beautiful mother.

She giggled. "Daddy says you like to do that."

"Do what?"

"Call Mummy beautiful," she said, still giggling. The Doctor's eyes widened with realization and Rose looked embarrassed for her daughter.

"DJ, why don't you go tell Daddy that he's here."

"Mum, if you wanna be alone, you could just ask," the girl said, then left before Rose could say anything.

"So she's telepathic," the Doctor said. "And very good at it, I might add. I didn't even notice she was there."

"Yes, well, she likes to play innocent when she's being mischievous. She gets it from her father."

"I think I should be offended," the Doctor joked. He knew he wasn't the father, but his clone was, so, to a point, he could make these jokes. He changed the subject quickly, so as to prevent any discussion of it. "How old is she?"

"Six."

"Six years? My, it's been a long time."

"How long has it been for you?"

"A year."

"One year? It's been ten for us."

"I don't believe it," he said. He had been planning to comment on how young she looked, when his clone arrived, and he could believe it. He had been right. His clone was aging. "You look old."

"You look the same."

"Aw, well, you know."

Rose just shook her head, trying to stifle her laughter. Two Doctors talking to each other. She hadn't realized how funny it would be.

"SO, how did you guys find yourselves in this universe?"

"The TARDIS," Rose explained.

"You grew it in ten years? Seriously?"

"We had some help," Rose admitted, although remaining vague.

"I drove!" DJ announced happily.

"Really?" the Doctor asked.

"Yeah, and from what Mum said, I drive better than you," she said, pointing her finger at him. The other Doctor tried not to laugh, while the Doctor looked at the girl with an "as if" expression.

"DJ," Rose said, her voice one of warning, "that's very rude."

"But Mum, it's true!" the girl said in her defense.

Before some parent-child argument could break out, the Doctor intervened.

"Well, let's put that theory to the test. You can drive my TARDIS and see how good you are."

DJ's brown eyes lit up with excitement. "Can I, really?"

"Oh, yeah. C'mon, let's get going. My TARDIS is that way."

DJ couldn't contain her excitement as she ran off in the direction the Doctor was pointing to. The other Doctor went off to collect their TARDIS, leaving the Doctor and Rose.

"She's going to beat you, I hope you know."

"No one can drive my TARDIS better than me," the Doctor said. Rose just smiled and laughed at him.

"What ever you say, what ever you say."

The Doctor and Rose got to the TARDIS, and to the Doctor's surprise, DJ was already inside.

"How'd ya do that?"

"I have a key," DJ answered as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. The Doctor just looked at Rose for an explanation.

"We used the same keys for our TARDIS," she answered, and it made sense. He watched as DJ played around with the console, but it was slightly too tall. Rose watched the Doctor's horrified face as the console lowered to her height.

"What do you think you're doing?"

"I'm not doing anything," she said. "The TARDIS lowered the console, not me."

Of course, the Doctor knew that, he just didn't like the TARDIS making changes without telling him. He tried to tell her that, but she just shrugged him off.

The other Doctor entered shortly, with a chain in his hand. He put it around DJ's neck, which the Doctor watched in amusement. He noticed the charm on it was a police public call box.

"That's an interesting necklace."

"It's not just a necklace," the other Doctor said.

"It's the TARDIS," DJ finished. "Daddy always lets me wear it." Whispering in the Doctor's ear, she added, "Daddy says its because he only trusts his TARDIS to his special little girl, but the TARDIS likes me better." DJ giggled and the Doctor smiled. The other Doctor, having heard it, tried to act indignent, and Rose comforted him.

"Oh, John, it's not your fault the TARDIS likes DJ more. She's got her six-year-old cuteness on her side. Just wait until she's a teenager."

"The TARDIS'll always like me best," DJ announced. "Now, where are we going?"

With that, the Doctor picked some place at random from everywhere he knew, and DJ took them there. Perfectly. There wasn't a bump along the way, and the landed in the exact right time and place. DJ smiled a gloating smile, while the Doctor thought to the TARDIS, _Sure. You don't act up for her._

The TARDIS responded to the Doctor, and DJ giggled some more. She had been listening the whole time.

---------------------------------------------------------------

Sarah Jane arrived at Pharos and was greeted by Professor Rivers. At first, Professor Rivers had been slightly hesitant to show her the telepathic unit, but when Sarah Jane promised it was for nothing bad, just her curiosity as a journalist, she permitted a tour for Sarah Jane.

Sarah Jane watched the test of the telepathic unit, which was alarmingly accurate. Still, she had no reason to suspect alien activity, until she met the child genius behind the technology, one Rick Rainer. He had seemed human enough, much less grumpy that the Slitheen impersonator. Thinking back to that incident made Sarah Jane instantly suspicious. She used her watch to scan the kid, and the results read human, although Sarah Jane found herself not believing it. There was something alien about this all.

Before she had finished the interview with Rick, she had decided she would be coming back. At the end of the interview, she was thrown by his question to her.

"Ms. Smith, what do you think of Donna Noble running for Prime Minister?"

"I fail to see how that is relevant."

"I was just curious," Rick said, trying to act as innocent as possible. Sarah Jane really didn't like how he was acting. If he wasn't alien, he was up to something, she was sure.

She left Pharos after that, but if her gut instinct wasn't enough, the alien artifact she found on the ground outside her car was more than enough.

Picking it up carefully, Sarah Jane headed back to Mr. Smith. There was still a few hours until she could sneak into Pharos and she wanted Mr. Smith to examine this artifact ASAP. It might be an important clue, later on.

----------------------------------------------------------

Martha met Jack at the main entrance of St. Helen's Hospital. He was standing there, ear piece in, wearing his World War II coat.

"So, who's the girl?"

"Her name's Arianna Roberts. She's nine years old and her mother brought her to the hospital because she was having a psychotic relapse."

"Let me guess. She was first checked in after the Year That Never Was."

"Bingo. She's in the psychiatric ward."

They headed to the lift, and as they took it up, Jack asked, "How'd you find this girl, anyway?"

"Tom," she said, and that answered it all.

They got off on the correct floor and made their way to the psychiatric ward.

"Hello," Jack said to the ward's clerk, "we're here to see Arianna Roberts."

"Sorry," the old lady answered. "She's not allowed to have visitors."

Jack had been hoping he didn't need to play the Torchwood card, but it seemed he would have to.

"Look, ma'am, we're Torchwood and we have to see her." He showed her credentials, which the woman looked at, but it didn't seem to matter.

"That's real nice, but not even the Queen of England could be allowed to see her. Now, unless you want me to call security, you best be off."

Jack and Martha left, but Jack had a plan. They headed down to another level, one with computer access. Jack hacked in easily and found the room where Arianna was being kept.

"Alright, Miss Martha Jones, you ready to teleport in?"

"Don't tell me. You fixed that wristband of yours."

"Why, of course. The Doctor can use his sonic screwdriver as much as he likes, but I've had a year to fix it."

Martha rolled her eyes, but she was smiling. She grabbed onto the wristband as Jack programmed it to take them to the coordinates.

The next thing they knew, they were in a perfect, spick and span, rubber room. Jack has seen many psychiatric rooms in his lifetime — one room in particular with children's drawings covering the walls came to mind before he could stop himself — but none where as clean as this one. If not for the blonde girl curled up in the fetal position on the middle of the floor, Jack would think the place unoccupied.

Martha touched the girl's shoulder, startling the girl. She looked around her and Martha noticed the girl's face was red and puffy. However, her eyes widened with recognition when she saw Martha.

"OMG, Martha Jones. You've come. I knew you would."

"Yes, I've come. Now, we're getting out of here, so we can talk, OK?"

"'K," Arianna said. Martha lead her over to Jack, taking her hand under hers while placing it on Jack's wristband as he initiated a teleport.

They ened up in the Hub. Arianna was awed into silence as she looked around.

"Welcome to the Hub, Arianna," Martha said. "Now, we're going to help you, but we need you to tell us everything."

"OK," she agreed. She looked at Jack curiously, which caused Martha to realize she hadn't introduced her to Jack. She was about to do so, when the girl opened a locket that had been hidden under her dress. She gasped, then looked back at Jack.

"Uncle Jack?" she questioned, tears filling her eyes as she hugged him.

**To Be Continued . . .**

**I'll update when I can, I hope you guys liked it (you can tell me by reviewing; come on, you know you want to!)**

**Smiles,**

**Naomitrekkie :D**


	6. Chapter 5: Some Important Details

**The Cost of a Box**

**Author: Naomitrekkie**

**Series: The whole Whoniverse, with a focus on Doctor Who**

**Rating: K+, to be safe**

**Synopsis: Only the people on the Valiant remembered the Year That Never Was, or were they? One seemingly crazy girl knows more than she should, but at what cost?**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Doctor Who or the Whoniverse (only in my dreams . . . and sometimes in RTD's nightmares).**

**A/N: If you don't watch SJA or Torchwood, I've explained some stuff at the end. Thank you to everyone who's read and reviewed! You guys rock(and the Sycorax do not)!**

**Enjoy!**

**Chapter 5: Some Important Details**

Martha looked at Jack, who gave her a confused look, as if to say, "I have no clue what she'd talking about."

A few seconds later, Arianna let go of Jack and took a few steps back, wiping the tears from her eyes. "Sorry," she said, getting the chance to think clearly. "You just look like someone I know, well, kinda."

At this, Jack gave her a puzzled look. She decided to explain, having temporarily forgotten about the Master.

"See, my Mum gave me this locket. It's her grandparents, her Mum, and her uncle. She never met him or her gran'dad, but she gave me this locket." She showed it to Jack, taking it off to do so. It was a rather large locket, and on the inside it had extra space, allowing it to hold four different pictures. She pointed out the people to Jack, some of which he recognized, which shocked him.

"Estelle," he said without even realizing it. Arianna's face lit up in amazed recognition, leaving Martha feeling left out.

"Who's Estelle?" Martha asked.

"That's my great gran's name," Arianna answered. Jack showed the locket to Martha, who understood, not needing the explanation he gave anyway.

"She was my wife."

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Sarah Jane arrived back at 13 Bannerman Road and tried to sneak inside without getting noticed by the teens. She just wanted to quickly get inside, see Mr. Smith, then get out, although she did take a second to notice that Luke and Maria were sitting together as they watched the movie. She managed to get in unnoticed and even managed to made it through her conversation with Mr. Smith. It wasn't until she was trying to escape that she wasn't noticed, not that she realized. Maria had been returning from the kitchen to the living room when she spotted her leaving. She silently went up to the attic, deciding to try and figure out what Sarah Jane had been up to.

"Hello, Mr. Smith," she said after closing the attic door. She was trying to keep her conversation from carrying downstairs.

"Hello, Maria."

"You wouldn't happen to be able to tell me what Sarah Jane was up to, would ya?" she asked.

"Sarah Jane did not require me to keep it a secret," he said simply. Maria waited for more, until she figured he wasn't going to say anything else.

"So, what'd she do?"

"She asked me to scan this puzzle box she found." Maria looked around and found the box sitting on Mr. Smith's scanner pad. She walked towards it, looking at it, careful not to touch.

"What'd you find?" she asked in a semi-distracted state.

"It was covered in human and graske DNA."

"Graske? Wasn't that the same species that snatched me from existence?" Maria asked, becoming focused on Mr. Smith and not the box.

"Yes."

"I wonder why a graske would have a puzzle box," she said, thinking aloud. She wondered about it for a few moments, when the attic door opened and a familiar voice spoke.

"Maria, what are you doing?"

"Nothing, Luke. Just had a question for Mr. Smith," she said, deciding it was best not to mention that Sarah Jane had been in for a bit.

"You coming back? We're about to start the next movie."

"Of course," she said, smiling. She pushed the puzzle box out of her mind as she followed Luke back to the living room. She realized she left the popcorn in the kitchen, and Luke went back to get it for her.

"Wat took you so long? Were you and Luke . . . ?" Clyde asked, making kissy faces at her. Maria grabbed the nearest pillow and threw it at him. He was sitting awkwardly enough so it knocked him over, causing Rani to break out in a fit of giggles.

Luke came back in with the popcorn a few moments later and asked, "What's so funny?" causing Rani to laugh even harder.

"Oh, you know Clyde," Maria said, shrugging it off. Luke realized she hadn't answered his question, but they sat back down and started the movie, so Luke but it out of his mind.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Arianna just stared at Jack. She was about to ask what he was talking about, when Jack changed the subject.

"So, enough of family history. I believe you have some information about the Master."

"So you remember too?" she asked, unable to believe it. She hoped Martha had, but she hadn't been expecting that.

"Boy, do I remember. I was on the Valiant."

This caused Arianna to gasp.

"Yes, so what's this about the Master?"

"He's coming back."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes!"

"How?" Martha asked.

"I had this box. It protected me from the Master and maybe it's the reason I remember when no one else did, I'm not sure. I got it from a man, a few days before the Master and the Toclafane. Now it's gone. He sent someone to get it and he's coming back!"

She began to panic, but Martha calmed her. Jack was skeptical, having seen the Master die in front of him, but he listened anyway. Even if this was only a false alarm, they could use retcon to make the girl forget the Master.

"Are you sure? How do you know?"

"He said. He told me. He said that it'd protect me, but when it was taken, he'd be back. I never let it out of my sight, never ever. I always kept it with me, even when I wasn't supposed to. I even got in trouble at school 'cause of it. Then, it was gone while I was sleeping. He sent someone to take it."

Arianna was back in a panic, and Martha did her best to try to comfort her. She looked at Jack as she did so, attempting to have a silent conversation with him.

"What do you think?" she mouthed.

Jack shrugged mouthing, "We saw him die."

Martha tried to mouth, "What about the fob watch?" but Jack didn't understand, so Martha pointed to her wrist, where a watch should have gone. It took him a bit, but then he understood. He pointed to his office, and headed in that direction, leaving Martha to deal with Arianna.

"Hey, Arianna, I'm going to be right back, 'K? I'll be just a few minutes," she said.

"Promise?"

"Promise. Now, don't touch anything. There's some pretty dangerous stuff around here."

"OK."

With that, Martha left Arianna on the couch, then headed up to Jack's office.

Inside, Jack was pacing, which made Martha more that slightly nervous.

"I'm guessing you believe her," Martha commented, announcing her presence.

"I'm not sure. All we have is the word of this nine year old, and no solid evidence."

"If she's right, the Master could be anywhere or anyone."

"I know that, but how did he do it? We saw him die!"

"I remember. I was there," she said, irritation seeping into her voice.

"Yes, I remember. How'd he do it?"

"Maybe he's got some his conscious locked up someplace."

"Really, Martha? Harry Potter?" Jack said, giving Martha a look.

"Oi! It could happen."

"Well, maybe. It's possible. The question is, do we do it?"

Silence engulfed them both as Jack waited for Martha's answer.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sarah Jane arrived at Pharos, parking far enough away from the place so as to not be seen on the cameras. She went through the motions of breaking in to the place, going through the process exactly as she did before. She chuckled to herself, thinking, _These people never learn._

She got in and back out with the telepathic unit, everything going off without a hitch. It was almost too easy, but she didn't allow herself to think about that. She didn't want to jinks anything. She wasn't exactly superstitious, but with aliens, anything could happen.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Doctor and John watched as DJ and Rose shopped. The Doctor would never know why he picked Barcelona (the planet), one of the biggest shopping centers this side of the galaxy, but he had, and DJ insisted on going shopping. With Rose on her side, both Doctors were outnumbered, and they both knew it. So there they stood, watching the girls go around, always standing a bit away.

DJ's giggling caught their attention as both women started walking back to them.

"The dogs have no noses!" DJ told them both, getting a laugh from everyone.

"That never gets old," both Doctors said at the same time, causing DJ and Rose to start laughing even harder. It reminded him of Rose and Sarah's laughing fit when they met, and he wasn't sure if that was good or bad.

"So, buy anything?" John asked.

"Yeah!" DJ said, showing off her new charm bracelet, with one charm on it, a little wolf figurine. "Isn't it cool?"

"Very nice," John says.

"I'll say. Is that a wolf?" the Doctor asks.

"They're my favorite animal," DJ says cheerily. The Doctor glances at Rose, who looks around innocently.

"Now then! It's time to be off!" the Doctor announced, causing DJ to giggle.

"Race you!" she yelled as she sprinted off towards the TARDIS. Both Doctors ran after her, and Rose did too, after shaking her head and laughing at them.

They arrived back at the TARDIS and the Doctor was getting ready to take off.

". . . where should we go, hmm?" the Doctor was saying when Rose arrived.

"I know! Frappachappachina, year two million and two!"

"Frappachappachina? What's at Frappachappachina?" the Doctor asked. He knew it was the coffee capital of this universe, but there wasn't anything a six year old would like.

"Only the best quadruple chocolate frappuccino with extra chocolate chips ever!" she cheered. "Dad told me that in two million and two they came out with it in the triple extra large size."

The Doctor looked from John, who shrugged, and Rose, who mouthed, "Decaf." The Doctor nodded, then set the TARDIS coordinates.

---------------------------------------------------------------

"Do it," Martha said, and Jack picked up the phone.

----------------------------------------------------------------

Just as the Doctor was about to take off, a phone rang. He looked around and found it was Martha's phone. He answered it, wondering why she would be calling.

"Martha?" he asked into the phone. Across the room, Rose was talking to John.

"Since when does he have a cell phone?"

"Martha gave it to him."

"Doesn't she know the TARDIS has a phone?" John just shrugged. "Some help you are."

On the phone, the Doctor received and answer.

"No, it's Jack. We've sort of . . . got a situation over here."

"What kind of situation?"

"We think, more like, we've heard that the Master's back."

Had the sentence ended any other way, the Doctor might have made a comment about his sources. However, knowing the Master, the Doctor took no chances. It wouldn't be the first time he'd returned from the dead.

"Where are you?"

"In the Hub."

"We'll be right there."

Then the Doctor hung up, before explaining anything more. He quickly changed the coordinates and took off.

**To Be Continued . . .**

**A/N: OK, so I promised some (important) explanations. One is the puzzle box. It was in SJA and protected its owner from the effects of the Trickster and allowed the person holding it to remember the changed events. Two, Estelle Cole is the woman from "Small Worlds," aka the fairy episode, so I didn't make her up (just some of her background).**

**Hope that helps! PM if you have any questions. Please review! Thanks!**

**Smiles,**

**Naomitrekkie :D**


	7. Chapter 6: Meeting in the Middle

**The Cost of a Box**

**Author: Naomitrekkie**

**Series: The whole Whoniverse, with a focus on Doctor Who**

**Rating: K+, to be safe**

**Synopsis: Only the people on the Valiant remembered the Year That Never Was, or were they? One seemingly crazy girl knows more than she should, but at what cost?**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Doctor Who or the Whoniverse (only in my dreams . . .).**

**A/N: This was a blast to write. I hope ya'll like it (I know I did) and thanks again to everyone who's read and reviewed!**

**Enjoy!**

**Chapter 6: Meeting in the Middle**

The TARDIS landed and the Doctor ran out, then hurried back in.

"This is the wrong place," he said, talking more to himself than anyone else. "Where did we land? This isn't Torchwood."

"Torchwood?" Rose asked. "Who's in Torchwood and why are we going there?"

"Jack," John answered.

"Jack works for Torchwood?" Rose asked in disbelief. "In ten years, you never thought to mention that?"

If the Doctor wasn't preoccupied with trying to figure out where they were and why the TARDIS was acting funky, he would have laughed at his clone. Of couse, John acted similarly to the way he would have, but that didn't mean it wasn't funny. If anything, that made it funnier.

Of course, Rose and John were both distracted by their conversation, so none of the three adults noticed when DJ walked out to investigate. She closed the door behind her, having made a deal with the TARDIS to keep the adults from noticing her as she left as well as not to leave until she got back. She liked this TARDIS as much as her own, and they both liked her. They were great secret keepers and both loved helping her to keep secrets from her parents and the Doctor.

She stepped out into the unknown and found she was inside someplace. It was a large room filled with various alien objects. She didn't know where the Doctor had been trying to take them, but this place was cool.

_"Be careful, DJ, something's drawing us here,"_ her TARDIS told her.

_"I will, Angel,"_ DJ thought back to her TARDIS. She had named her, with Angel's permission, but her parents didn't know. It was her and Angel's little secret. The Doctor's TARDIS — which DJ called Wolfie — knew too, but they didn't mind. It was easier for them to talk to each other with these names and easier for DJ to keep them straight.

She walked around the room, sometimes picking up the various alien things, looking them over, then putting them back. One item in particular — a strange metal box — caught her attention as she picked it up. She looked it over and just before she was about to put it down, she heard a voice behind her.

"But that's impossible . . ." DJ knew two things about whoever said that. One, it was female and two, she didn't know the person.

DJ turned around and stared at the teenage girl who was staring at the TARDIS with awe.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Maria had been comfortable watching the movie. She'd been enjoying the movie even more because she was sitting with Luke. Then she heard something. Something in the attic. If it had been just anything, she might not have worried but she had heard that sound before. She knew she had.

Apparently no one else had heard it, so she made up an excuse about going to the loo, then snuck up to the attic. All the way up, she convinced herself that she must be hearing things, that it couldn't be what she thought it was.

Well, she was wrong, because as soon as she stepped into the attic, she saw it. There it was, in all it's glory.

"But that's impossible . . ." she said, not realizing she was speaking aloud. The TARDIS couldn't be standing there in front of her. What was going on? Then she remembered something Quin said, and laughed. "The alien's didn't come 'til after, just like she said."

Then the door opened at the Doctor stepped out.

"Hello there."

"Doctor? What are you doing here?"

"Sorry, do I know you?"

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

After a bit more of the Doctor's panicing, John realized DJ wasn't in the control room.

"She must have gone wandering," John said aloud. "She's got that from you."

Rose looked at him like he was crazy, at least crazier than normal, then it dawned on her that DJ was being awfully quiet. Before she could go into "Mum panic mode," John volunteered to go outside and search.

When he did, the first thing he noticed was a teenage girl staring at him.

"Hello there," he said smiling.

"Doctor? What are you doing here?" the girl asked, shocking John.

"Sorry, do I know you?" he asked. He didn't recognize her, although it was more likely that she recognized the original, and not him.

"Doctor, don't you remember visiting America? Pluto? Anything?"

John just stared at her. Definitely something the original did. He was going to tell her that when he heard another voice.

"Daddy!"

Both John and the girl turned to look at DJ, who was smiling and walking towards them both.

"DJ, what are you doing?"

"Sorry, I thought you said you didn't have kids," the girl cut in.

"Yes, well, that wasn't—"

John was cut off by Rose exiting the TARDIS.

"John, what's taking so long?" she asked, then saw the company they were with. "Oh, hello, who are you?"

"I'm—"

"Maria! So glad to see you again!" the Doctor cut in, no one having noticed his exiting the TARDIS. Maria just looked between the two Doctors in shock.

"There's two of ya?"

"Yep!" the Doctor answered. "Maria, this is Rose, DJ, and John my handy clone." That got a laugh from Rose and DJ, while John tried to look indignant. "And everyone, this is Maria Jackson."

Everyone shared some various forms of hello, and then a timer rang.

"I'm guessing that means we're in America," the Doctor deduced, but Maria shook her head.

"No, Doctor, we're in—"

An alarm cut her off, followed by hurried footsteps up the stairs. Suddenly, a blonde teenage boy entered the room, who the Doctor recognized. However, he didn't seem to notice anyone and simply ran across the attic and open a safe. The boy was talking to someone, when the Doctors and Rose heard a familiar robotic voice.

"Hello, Young Master."

"K-9!" both Doctors exclaimed excitedly, drawing attention to themselves. They walked over to the safe, to go say hello to K-9. The boy stepped back, recognized the men, although shocked to see two of the same person. He then looked over and saw Maria, along with a blonde woman and a little girl.

"I'm Luke Smith," he said, as if it was normal for people to suddenly appear inside his attic, but he saw the TARDIS as his Mum always described it and figured they weren't a threat.

The little girl giggled, then walked over to shake his hand. "I'm Donna Jacqueline Smith."

"What do you find so funny?" Luke asked.

"We've got the same last name," she answered. Maria kept herself from laughing. Luke was cute when he was clueless.

Suddenly, Sarah Jane rushed in, in a hurry to see K-9, seeing as it wasn't something she could do whenever she wanted.

"The drive back took longer than I expected," she was saying, when she stopped. She didn't see everyone in the room, only two men who were bent over, looking inside the safe. "Excuse me, what do you think you're doing?"

The men turned around and Sarah Jane recognized them.

"Doctor? What are you two doing here?"

"Hello, Mistress," K-9 chimed in.

"Hello, K-9," she said, before turning to the two Doctors.

"We could ask you the same question," one of the Doctors asked.

"I thought this was Maria's house," the other said.

"No, this is my house, and how do you know Maria?"

"Oh, well," the second — the one in the trenchcoat — said, scratching behind his ear, "What is K-9 doing in a safe?"

"He's saving the Earth from a black hole," she told them. "He's helping to seal it off." She walked closer to K-9, so he could see her better. "Who's a good dog?"

"Affirmative," K-9 said. "I must be going now. Goodbye, Mistress."

"Goodbye, K-9," she said, which was accompanied by various goodbyes coming from Luke, the Doctors, Maria, Rose, and DJ, although Sarah Jane didn't attempt to distinguish who was talking as she closed the safe.

"Now, what are you doing in my attic? Not that I'm not happy to see you all," she said, then looked around.

"Rose!" she said excitedly, going to hug her.

"Sarah Jane, it's been too long."

"Yes it has. Have you met my son?"

"He's a nice boy," Rose told her.

"He's brilliant," Sarah Jane said with motherly pride. "He could give these too goons a run for their money."

"Oi!" both Doctors said simultaneously, causing both Maria and DJ to giggle.

"And who's this?" Sarah Jane asked, noticing the giggling girl in overalls.

"I'm Donna Jacqueline Smith," she said smiling, "but everyone calls me DJ."

"Really? Smith did you say?" Sarah Jane asked, looking at the Doctors.

"What?" the one not wearing a trenchcoat asked. "It's a common name."

This caused Rose to break out into an uncontrollable fit of laughter. "You should have seen him trying to pick a name! He wanted to be Doctor Jack TARDIS, with all capital letters!"

Sarah Jane joined in the laughter, as did DJ, while the other Doctor gave him a funny look.

"Doctor Jack TARDIS?"

"I couldn't very well just be called 'The Doctor' on all the records and things. People with paperwork are very particular about proper names," he said in self defense, but the laughter progressed.

----------------------------------------------------------------

Downstairs, Rani and Clyde where beginning to notice that Maria and Luke had been gone for a while.

"Is Luke still talking to K-9?" Rani asked.

"I guess," Clyde answered.

"How long has he been? And did Maria go with him?"

Clyde didn't have answers for this, but they heard some commotion coming from upstairs and decided to check it out. They climbed all the way up to the attic and stopped in their tracks at what they saw.

In front of them was a group of no less than seven people, most of which were laughing like maniacs.

"Sarah Jane, where did all the people come from?" Clyde asked, figuring he would have seen this rowdy bunch coming up the stairs.

"Clyde, Rani, this is Rose, DJ, the Doctor, and the Doctor," she said, pointing each of them out.

"But everyone calls me John," the second Doctor announced.

The banter continued on, but DJ stopped listening to them. She was listening to someone else. Two someone else's, to be precise.

_"DJ, time runs short. You must remind him,"_ Wolfie insisted.

_"Yes, we must be off to Torchwood. They do not know, not for sure, but the Master does return,"_ Angel sent.

_"The Master? Are you sure?"_ DJ asked, having heard stories about him. She didn't know why she asked if they were sure, they were TARDISes, they were always sure. _"Right. Thank you, Wolfie, Angel."_

Then she was back to the current situation in the attic, which consisted of a lot of laughing. Not even bothering trying to figure out what they were laughing about, DJ sent a telepathic message to the Doctor.

_"Torchwood, we have to get to Torchwood. Doctor, remember Torchwood,"_ she sent loud enough to be heard but quietly enough so the Doctor would not regiester it was her sending the message.

"Rightio! We've got places to go! You could accompany us, if you'd like, Sarah Jane," the Doctor said.

"Why have I got the feeling you're not off for a social visit?"

"We're headed off to Torchwood, in case that means anything to you," the Doctor said.

"Torchwood? You mean Captain Jack's still talking to you?" Maria asked in amazement. "Wow, he must be desperate."

The Doctor tried to look like he had no idea what she was talking about and failed miserably.

"I like her," Rose commented to John, which the Doctor overheard.

"Maria, I'm sure the good Captain would love to see you again."

"Cool. I guess I'll be heading inside the TARDIS then." She looked over at Sarah Jane, and pleaded with her eyes for Sarah Jane to come with. "C'mon Sarah Jane, you've gotta come. if anything goes wrong, we can just hide in the Hub."

"Oh alright," Sarah Jane said, to the excitement of the teenagers.

"C'mon, Luke, you're gonna love the inside of the TARDIS," Maria said, taking Luke's hand and leading him inside, which Sarah Jane watched in amusement.

"Doctor, I think it's best you let me drive," DJ said, which got Sarah Jane's attention. "We don't want to get off course again."

"Am I to believe you accidently landed in my attic?" Sarah Jane asked, although knowing the Doctor, it was the most likely thing.

"Yep!" DJ declared. "I can drive the TARDIS better than him." Leaning in, she whispered into Sarah Jane's ear, "Plus the TARDIS likes me better."

Sarah Jane laughed at this, and then some more at both Doctors' indignant looks.

Eventually, everyone got inside the TARDIS control room, and it was time to head off. Hopefully, they would land at Torchwood this time.

--------------------------------------------------------------------

Inside the Hub, Martha and Jack were waiting for the TARDIS. They didn't have to wait long. Soon, the usual sound of the materializing TARDIS rang out through the Hub. Arianna was shocked by this, but didn't say anything. Martha and Jack seemed to be expecting this, so she just watched and waited.

A man in a trenchcoat stepped out of the blue box that had appeared. Both Martha and Jack recognized him at once.

"Doctor, you took your time," Jack said.

"Yes well, the TARDIS ended up taking a detour."

"A detour?" Martha asked, skeptically. She knew the Doctor had driving problems, but she doubted it was just a "detour." She remembered the last time the Doctor took her on a detour and it was not a pretty sight.

"Yes, and I've brought some people with me."

"How many people, Doctor?" Jack asked, not wanting the whole world to see the inside of the Hub.

"Only eight people," the Doctor said.

"Eight?!" Martha and Jack asked simultaneously.

"Relax. You've already met most of them," the Doctor said before opening the TARDIS door and talking to whoever was inside. "Ya'll can come out now."

Then out of the door came Sarah Jane Smith, four teenagers — two of which Jack recognized — and then a little girl.

"Wow, Doc, isn't see a little young?" Jack asked.

"Careful, Captain Jack, that's my daughter you're talking about," a voice said from inside the TARDIS, a voice Jack recognized.

"Rose?" Jack asked as she stepped out of the TARDIS, smiling.

"Who else?" she asked, then went over and hugged him.

Jack was too distracted with Rose to noticed the other Doctor when he stepped out of the TARDIS and waved his right hand in greeting.

"Than hand still creeps me out," Martha said, to which both Doctors just smiled.

From the couch, Arianna watched the reunion with some cheer, but knew it all had to end. There was the Master to deal with, after all. However, seeing how happy the bunch was, she decided to give them a few more moments of cheer before they set to work to find the Master.

---------------------------------------------------------------

On Messaline, Jenny the daughter of Cline reaches the top of the tallest staircase on the planet.

"Elder," she calls out, knocking on the door. She steps inside, looking around. "Elder?"

"I am here, my child."

"Elder, the Doctor, her returned here."

"Then it is time," the Elder said. "Good bye, my child."

The Elder stood up, still cloaked. She headed for the door, and little Jenny watched her.

"Elder, what are you going to do?"

"I am going to stop the Master."

**To Be Continued . . .**

**A/N: Ok, so I've got like a whole series planned, which I'm going to call "The Untold TARDIS Tales" or just my Untold Tales series for short. In it, I'm going to have a story called "Aliens in DC" explaining how Maria met everyone! I'll be posting a list of them all (complete with links) once I've posted a sequel/prequel on my profile page. So keep an eye out! They should be coming after I finish this fic!**

**As always, please review! Thanks!**

**Smiles!**

**~Naomitrekkie :D**


	8. Chapter 7: Know Your Enemy

**The Cost of a Box**

**Author: Naomitrekkie**

**Series: The whole Whoniverse, with a focus on Doctor Who**

**Rating: K+, to be safe**

**Synopsis: Only the people on the Valiant remembered the Year That Never Was, or were they? One seemingly crazy girl knows more than she should, but at what cost?**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Doctor Who or the Whoniverse. (If only!)**

**A/N: This was fun to write, I hope you like it too. Thanks to all who read/reviewed! You guys are amazing!**

**Enjoy!**

**Chapter 7: Know Your Enemy**

Arianna decided she was going to bring up the Master, when she saw something in the little blonde girl's hands. Something she recognized. She went closer to get a better look, and she was certain.

"That's mine!" she declared, talking the puzzle box from DJ's hands. DJ had been holding it ever since she forgot to put it back in Sarah Jane's attic, and did not like this strange girl taking it from her, even if it didn't belong to her personally.

"No, it's not! It was at Sarah Jane's house!" DJ yelled back, taking the box back from her.

"It's mine!"

"Is not!"

"Is too!"

Then the two girls broke out into an all out fight over the box, which took Rose, Jack, and both Doctors to break up.

"What's going on here?" the Doctor demanded, not one for fighting on any scale, and particularly not between these two little girls.

"She took it! That's my box!" Arianna yelled. "Uncle Jack, get it back from her!"

The Doctor looked at Jack curiously, as if to ask what she meant.

"Niece, great granddaughter, what's the difference?" he said, to answer the Doctor's unspoken question. To Arianna, he said, "How could she have taken that box from you? She hasn't come anywhere near you, and you didn't have it when you came in the Hub."

"I know that, but that's my box. It protected me!"

Everyone in the room was paying attention to the situation. Sarah Jane looked at the box in DJ's hands, and recognized it.

"You mean to say this puzzle box belongs to you?" she asked, taking the object from DJ.

Arianna nodded.

"You see, I found this earlier today. It was covered in human and Graske DNA," Sarah Jane explained.

"Graske? Don't tell me they're loose on Earth again?" the Doctor asked.

"It doesn't look like that. There just seems to be one for hire."

"It could belong to Krislok, ever think of that?" Clyde asked, speaking up.

"Who's the kid?" Jack asked as the same time Sarah Jane asked, "Who's Krislok?"

"Clyde Landger, alien investigator. Krislok was the name of that Graske, you know the one helping the Trickster?"

"Yeah, we gave him your box in exchange for opening the time fissure to send me back to 1951," Rani explained.

"You _helped_ a Graske that was working with the Trickster?" the Doctor asked, having forgotten about the main point at hand.

"He was the Trickster's slave and if we hadn't made the arrangement, the Trickster would have destroyed the Earth, no help from you," Rani responded, a bit of anger seeping into her voice. She didn't know that much about the Doctor, other than what Sarah Jane told her, but she didn't like him acting all high and mighty when he hadn't helped them when they needed him. Sure, he was there when the Daleks moved the Earth, but that wasn't the point.

"Long story," Sarah Jane explained to a confused Doctor. "I do believe we're here for a reason."

"Yes," Martha said, "the Master's returned."

"How can you know?" John asked.

"I know. The man who gave me the box warned me about the Master, twice!" Arianna said. "That box protected me at first, and let me remember. That's how I knew you could save us. Martha said you would before, and you did. Now you will again."

The Doctor wasn't sure what to say. Luckily, Ianto, arriving earlier than usual, prevented any chance of answering.

"Jack, I've got the results from the election," he said before seeing how crowded the place was. "Sorry, I didn't realize you had company."

"No, Ianto, these are just some friends," Jack said.

"Hey, Ianto," Maria called out cheerily, waving. He waved back, then read off the results. "I just thought you might like to know Donna Noble was elected Prime Minister."

The room was full of people happy for their friend, except for the two Doctors. They were extremely worried by this news, and DJ was the only one who seemed to notice.

_"Wolfie, Angel, why are Daddy and the Doctor worried about Donna being the Prime Minister?"_ she asked her TARDIS friends.

_"The Doctor had to wipe Donna's memory,"_ Wolfie explained, _"and both the Doctor and your father remember the woman she was before meeting him."_

_"Was she bad or something?"_

_"No, but she was completely unaware of the world around her."_

_"So they don' t think Donna would just become Prime Minster, not since she lost her memory."_

_"That is correct, my DJ."_

DJ looked at the two Doctors, wondering what they could be thinking. She had some guesses of her own, and she knew she could easily read their minds without their ever knowing. Her Mum always said it was wrong, but these were special circumstances.

In the end, it didn't matter, because moments later one of the many computer screens in the Hub turned on to Donna Noble making a speech as Prime Minister, and the Doctor spoke his mind.

"He's brilliant, he is, thinking no one would think he'd do the same thing twice."

"What are you on about?" Sarah Jane asked.

"The Master is Prime Minister again."

"You mean he's controlling Donna?" Martha asked.

"Yes," John said. "I don't know how, but he is."

"What do you mean, 'again?'" Sarah Jane wanted to know.

"Brief history lesson, then. Harold Saxon, remember him and the Toclafane?"

"Of course, who could forget that?" Sarah Jane asked.

"Yes, well Harold Saxon was the Master in disguise. He turned the TARDIS — my TARDIS — into a paradox machine so that he could bring the future of the human race back to kill their ancestors. However, we stopped the Master and destroyed the paradox machine, so everything returned to normal. The Master died, at least we thought he did and now he's Prime Minister again. But what's he up to?"

Silence filled the room, as the Doctor tried to think out the Master's plan.

"Mum," Luke said, breaking the silence with an idea, "do you still have that telepathy device?"

"Yes," Sarah Jane said, getting it out from her purse. The Doctor ran over to her and examined it, his brainy specs on. "I don't how this helps figure out the Master's plan. He's trained to be able to block telepathy."

"Maybe, if you or I did, but, if we use this to amplify a sneaky little girl's telepathic abilities—" the Doctor began.

"—she would be able to get in unnoticed!" John finished. Both Doctors looked at DJ, who was already walking towards the device.

"What's the range?" she asked.

"The people at Pharos said a human could reach any person on the planet," Sarah Jane answered.

"Any person on the planet?" the Doctor asked. "This technology shouldn't be on Earth."

The Doctor went on babbling about the human race, which John contributed to, and was followed by Rose concerned for her daughter's safety. DJ, however, wasn't paying attention to them, nor them to her. She was busy reading Sarah Jane's mind.

_It was developed by Rick Rainer. He was small enough to be a Graske, maybe. What was the name of the man funding the project? Blane O'something. Blane O'Dann, no. O'Donn? That's it! Blane O'Donn, but where's he fit into all this?_

DJ processed the information she learned from Sarah Jane, and then it hit.

"It's an anagram!" she said, excited to have figured it out. It was so sudden and unexpected that it silenced everyone in the Hub and drew attention on her.

"What's an anagram?" the Doctor asked.

"Blane O'Donn's an anagram for Donna Noble," she said.

"And Blane O'Donn would be . . .?" the Doctor prompted.

"Blane O'Donn funded that telepathic unit," Sarah Jane explained, "but how could you know that?"

DJ tapped her temple as she explained. "I'm sneaky like that."

"But why would the Master need a telepathic unit? Hasn't he already got telepathic abilities?" Rose asked.

The Doctor was pacing backa and forth, hitting his head to make himself think. John was doing something similar, although involving less pacing and more hitting.

The Doctor got it first.

"He's planning to control every person on the planet."

**To Be Continued . . .**


	9. Chapter 8: Making Plans

**The Cost of a Box**

**Author: Naomitrekkie**

**Series: The whole Whoniverse, with a focus on Doctor Who**

**Rating: K+, to be safe**

**Synopsis: Only the people on the Valiant remembered the Year That Never Was, or were they? One seemingly crazy girl knows more than she should, but at what cost?**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Doctor Who or the Whoniverse. (If only!)**

**A/N: Sorry this took so long to update, and sorry it's so short!! I've been busy and somewhat uninspired. I've known the beginning and the end since forever, but this part's the toughest to write. Again, sorry for not updating in forever, but since I'm leaving to go on vacation tomorrow, I thought I'd be nice and give you what I've got. Hopefully I'll be full of ideas by the time I get back. Thanks again to everyone who's read and reviewed! You guys rock!**

**Enjoy!**

**Chapter 8: Making Plans**

"How do we stop him?" Rose asked.

"We're going to have to break the Master's control of Donna," the Doctor answered.

"And what do you suggest we do? Waltz into ten Downing Street and ask him how he's controlling her?" Martha asked, a bit of sarcasm seeping into her voice. The Doctor looked past the sarcasm and his eyes sparkled.

"Martha Jones, you're a genius!" the Doctor declared, before pacing around the Hub in excitement, babbling about a plan. The group listened as the Doctor laid out their plan of attack. Rose was the one who noticed the obvious flaw.

"Doctor, if we're acting on surprise, what happens when the Master sees us? He's got Donna's memories, and she's met us all."

At this, the Doctor stopped. He hadn't thought about that, but it was true. Because of the incident with the planets and Davros, Donna had met them all. The Doctor had merely blocked around Donna's memories — enough to keep her out, but easy for the Master to bypass.

"Except, I have this," Martha said, dangling a key that wasn't just a key in front of them. Both the Doctor, John, and Jack recognized it for what it was, which caused the Doctor to grin his boyish grin. "The Master's not the only one who can use old tricks."

"Martha, you're brilliant. Is the Archangel Network still in use?"

"Yeah, tried to get them to take it down, but the companies like them too much," Jack explained.

"Then, it's perfect for us. Someone, give me their mobile," the Doctor demanded.

"If you're gonna ruin it," a Welsh voice said from behind them, "you're gonna replace it."

Behind them, at the entrance to the Hub, stood Mickey Smith and Gwen Cooper, the latter holding her cell phone in hand. She walked over to the Doctor and seemed to be having second thoughts as she handed it over, not that it made a difference. They Doctor was over to her before she'd even made it half the distance between them, and took the phone. He was quick to take it apart and dissect it.

"Keys, people," he demanded. Rose handed his over, as did John, Mickey, Sarah Jane, and Maria. That surprised them all, especially Sarah Jane, who while she kept her key with her on the off chance she'd see him again, she hadn't even known that they'd met before the evening.

"What?" she said, shrugging. She might not actually be a part of the invasion team, but it didn't hurt to change as many TARDIS keys as possible. Jack and Martha still had theirs, and somewhere in the depths of his trenchcoat's bigger-in-the-inside pockets, the Doctor had his. After a bit of tinkering, DJ was the only person possessing an unchanged key.

"There!" the Doctor announced, handing the keys back out to their owners. "Now, let's work on this plan of ours."

They came up with a better plan than before, involving breaking off into a bunch of groups, some using keys, some not, and trying to use the element of surprise as best as possible. Mickey was the one to point out the flaw in using the TARDIS to get to ten Downing Street.

"Won't he hear the TARDIS's engines? They aren't exactly quiet."

"It's all in your head," DJ answered, startling Mickey, who had yet to notice the girl.

"Excuse me?"

"You only hear the TARDIS's engines 'cause she wants you too. It's like how she translates in your head."

"And how would you know that?"

"The TARDIS told me," she said, as only a six year old could. She might be a genius by human standards, but she had all the attitude of a six year old.

"That's my girl," John said proudly. "You tell that Mickey."

"They're both here," Mickey said, the place too full for him to take a proper head count earlier. "Great."

"Don't talk about by Daddy like that," DJ said, kicking his shin, causing Mickey to wince in pain.

"Donna Jacqueline Smith," Rose said in a tone only a mother could have, "apologize."

"Sorry," DJ grumbled.

"People, sorry to break this up, but I think we have other things to worry about. Like the Master," the Doctor reminded, getting everyone to get back on task. However, John saw when the Doctor slipped some money into DJ's hand when he thought no one was looking.

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The Master, in the form of Donna Noble, once again relished being Prime Minister. He never thought he would get the chance to do so again. As it was, he was enjoying himself. It was more fun than it had been before. Maybe he should try and stay Prime Minister forever. _Nah, there are more fun things! Like being the controller of Earth._

He laughed to himself, which was what he was doing when a young blonde walked into his new office. Technically, it was his old office, but that had been a long time ago, and for such a short time too.

"Donna, congratulations. I knew you'd win," the blonde said.

"Yes, you did. You're such a great friend, Arabella. How would you like to help me?"

"Sure. Whatcha need?"

"I need an assistant. Someone to help me. I've got an old friend stopping by later, and I want to make sure he and his guests are comfortable."

"Sure, Donna, I'll have some guest rooms ready."

"It's just, I need these to be _special_," he said, and Arabella understood.

"Of course, Donna. I'll be sure to get them exactly the way you want them."

With that, Arabella left, leaving the Master to his thoughts. He had explained to Arabella about how "she" was an alien, but a friendly one, although "her" enemy, the Doctor, was chasing after "her," to take over the world. Arabella had fallen for it, and even agreed to help with his evil plans, although she didn't know the full extent of them.

_Humans, so gullible. I have no idea why the Doctor's always protecting them. They deserve what's coming to them_, he thought, then laughed evilly. He knew the Doctor was coming, but he was ready. The Doctor wouldn't win, not this time.

**To Be Continued . . .**

**A/N: Thanks for reading! Please review!! It'll be a while before the next update, since I'm leaving for Disney tomorrow. Hope you guys like it!!**

**Smiles,**

**~Naomitrekkie :D**


	10. Chapter 9: Places, People

**The Cost of a Box**

**Author: Naomitrekkie**

**Series: The whole Whoniverse, with a focus on Doctor Who**

**Rating: K+, to be safe**

**Synopsis: Only the people on the Valiant remembered the Year That Never Was, or were they? One seemingly crazy girl knows more than she should, but at what cost?**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Doctor Who or the Whoniverse. If I did, I would have seen Children of Earth and not be sitting here waiting for it. (Two more days; I don't think I can wait that long!)**

**A/N: OK, so first things first, I am sorry this has taken me forever to update, but I'm not going to rattle on about why this has been so long, since you probably just want to read the chapter. I did have to rewrite this chapter a few times, and it is not my favorite, but it is important. Hopefully, with this chapter out of the way, I will be able to update more quickly. Fingers crossed people!**

**Now, I'd like to thank everyone who's read!! I'd especially like to thank Lynette McGregor, PhinalPhantasy, TARDISgirl192, and StarofCalamity for your reviews!!! You guys are amazing!!**

**And now . . . Enjoy!**

**Chapter 9: Places, People**

It was time to leave. The plan had been set, and now needed to be put in motion. As the people traveling by TARDIS gathered inside her, DJ found herself standing outside of Wolfie, stroking her panels. She would not be going. She was "too young," or so they said. DJ knew it was for her own safety that she was being left behind, but that didn't make it hurt any less.

_I'm gonna miss you, Wolfie_, DJ telepathically communicated with her friend.

_We will see each other soon_, Wolfie tried to console her, but DJ shook her head. She didn't quite know how she knew, but she knew that she would not see Wolfie for a long time, which was quite a trick considering the TARDIS was a time machine.

"DJ, it's time for them to go," her father's voice called to her. She could tell the difference between her father and the Doctor, if she was paying attention. At first she hadn't been really paying attention, so she hadn't realized who she was talking to. But now that she'd actually met the Doctor, she could distinguish between the two on a subconscious level. Even though she knew her father was calling her away, she had one more thing to do before she let Wolfie head off.

She kissed Wolfie's panels, then took a step back, whispering goodbye aloud, so she knew she had actually said it. Then she watched as Wolfie dematerialized, leaving her in the Hub. She refused to let herself cry, she was a big girl and too old for something so baby-ish. She'd see them again, she knew, but a part of her sensed it would not be for a long time.

_DJ, we'll see them again. Don't worry, everything will work out_, Angel told her. DJ knew Angel was right, at least she did in her head. TARDISes saw time even more completely than a Time Lord could, and she knew Angel would never lie to her, but she still couldn't help but miss her mother. She was only six years old, and her mother had never left her before, not really. Not for too long, anyway. Never more than a week at a time. DJ didn't know why, but she knew it would be a lot longer than a month before she saw her mother again. She couldn't cry, not now. She needed to be strong.

"So, what do we do now?"

DJ heard the voice from behind her, and identified it as belonging to Clyde. She turned and surveyed the room. Standing in the Hub was Luke, Maria, Clyde, Rani, Arianna, her father, and herself. They were the ones left behind. The kids because it was too dangerous, and her father because he needed to communicate with everyone. He was the tin dog this time, as Mickey had so kindly put it. She knew the real reason why her father was stuck her, and that was to maintain the element of surprise. They couldn't have the Master knowing he'd come over from the parellel universe, it would ruin what little surprise they had.

"We could ride Myfanwy," DJ suggested, after having a little chat with Torchwood's resident dinosaur. "She says she'll let us ride her, no more than two at a time."

The other kids seemed to like this idea, even Arianna, who had relaxed since getting her box back. The only person who didn't like this idea was her father, who gave her a stern look. She responded by giving him "the lip" and her puppy-dog eyes, a face she knew he could never resist. She could see him struggling to say no, but he caved, like she knew he would.

"Fine," he said, and she listened in on his thoughts for long enough to hear, _. . . but I'm going to ride her when everything is over . . ._

DJ couldn't help laugh at this, her father was still the dare devil he used to be. She smiled, then ran off to go help the other kids get on Myfanwy. She was, after all, the only one who could talk to the dinosaur, and so she'd have to help the others. It wasn't like she had anything better to do, at least, not yet. Her father might have to go communicate with everyone over at Mickey's computers, but her part in all this didn't start for another two hours. Plenty of time for her to have fun.

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The plan was a simple one. Everyone in the TARDIS, though they already knew it by heart, went over it one last time before the Doctor landed for the first time. It really, truly was a simple plan, which was why the Doctor was more panicky than ever. Well, that was more because of the dangers of making a mistake. He usually wasn't one to worry about a small mistake here or there, but this was different. Extremely different.

All they had to do was get in, find out how the Master was controlling Donna, and stop him. See, simple. The catch was, even the smallest of mistakes could destroy all of time. And if that wasn't enough, it could bring the Reapers, as Rose had so readily reminded them. It was the only way, though, and so, even though it went against everything the Doctor stood for, he had to do it.

It was such a simple plan, after all, it only required a bit of timeline crossing. What could be simpler for a man with a time machine?

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The TARDIS's first stop was four months before the Master became Prime Minister for the second time. The then-current Prime Minister had just fired his personal chef, which left the perfect opening for Ianto to take his place. Under the name of David Reese, he applied for the position, and got the job. That had been the easy part. Now Ianto had to stay in this Prime Minister's good graces until the election, which was a whole four months away.

Somehow, Ianto managed to make it. Thirty minutes after the Master as Donna Noble was officially elected to office, he knew he'd succeeded in infiltrating ten Downing street.

He heard the news as soon as they announced it. He didn't even have to hear it again, but he knew he needed to pretend he didn't already know Donna Noble won. Thirty minutes after "Donna" had made her speech, a blonde woman entered the kitchen, looking for him.

"Mr. Reese," she said, which got his attention.

"What can I do for you . . . ?"

"Arabella Stones," the blonde answered.

"What can I do for you, Miss Stones?" he asked.

"The Prime Minister would like some tea. Send it up to her immediately."

"Will do, ma'am," Ianto said, and the woman walked out, but not before smiling and winking at Ianto. Ianto didn't think about it, instead focusing on making his famous tea. He might be single, for the moment, but he had more important things to think about.

Having been prepared for this, less than five minutes later he was delivering the cup of tea in person to the Master. The Master enjoyed it, and Ianto knew he was in. Now, all he had to do was to find out how the Master was controlling Donna and how to stop him. It should be simple.

He took his stopwatch from his pocket and started it. He had a deadline for when he was going to have to report back to the Hub. As he put the stopwatch back in his pocket, he felt more like himself than he had in four months. Finally, he was actually making some progress.

-----------------------------------------------------------

The second stop was not as far off as the first. The Doctor landed the TARDIS three months before the election. The security for ten Downing needed new officers after an incident where twelve of their finest had mysteriously died. Gwen was just the woman for the job, having been a PC before joining Torchwood.

Under the name of Jane Jones, she got the job. She was just a new security guard, but she had access to ten Downing, which was what she needed to have. Things got even better when, after only a week, she'd been promoted to the Prime Minister's personal security guard, as he'd thought she was cute. Of course, the problem was, now she had to hold her postion until the Master came while staying loyal to Rhys. She'd betrayed him before, and wasn't sure she could do it again, not after how guilty she felt after last time.

In the end, she hadn't need to worry about betraying Rhys. Three weeks before the elections, there had been an assassination attempt on Donna's life with no known suspects, something she had forgotten about during her time undercover. She remembered, however, as she was lying in a hospital bed, recovering from the bullet she had taken to save Donna. It had been instinct to do so, and she hadn't even considered the dangers of messing with the timeline. If she had, she would have been too late.

Luckily for her, her effort hadn't been wasted. As she laid there in the hospital, she had been visited by a blonde woman. The woman had a message to deliver to her.

"Hello, there, Mrs. Jones," the blonde began. "My name is Arabella Stones, and on behalf of Donna Noble, I've been sent to offer her thanks. She's currently in hiding, otherwise she would be doing this personally. She does, however, wish you well, and hopes that you will take the position as her personal body guard when she comes to office."

"I'd be honored," Gwen had said, missing the woman's small slip of the tongue. Gwen was both tired and happy. She was tired because she was recovering from a bullet wound, and happy because she had found her way in. Suddenly, her job seemed so much easier, as she was already in place.

That was why she was smiling three weeks later in the Prime Minster's office. Not only was she alive, things were going as planned. Now all she had to do was stop the Master. How difficult could that be?

---------------------------------------------------

The TARDIS's next stop was smack dab in the middle of ten Downing Street. The TARDIS had made sure no one, especially not the Master, would sense her presence as she landed in a secluded, empty room. Then it was time for the Doctor to part ways with his companions as Jack, Martha, Mickey, Sarah Jane, and Rose left the TARDIS and him behind to go take up their positions. All five of them were wearing their converted keys and special communications contact lenses, and as they went their own ways, they split up into three different groups.

Jack and Martha were headed for the Prime Minister's office. They were supposed to sneak inside and she what they could find, and what they could overhear. They had the element of surprise, and hoped the Master wouldn't notice them. He had no reason to, seeing as he didn't know they were coming. At least, they hoped he didn't know, anyway.

Mickey and Sarah Jane had headed in the oposite direction, towards the Cabinet room. They had brought gas masks with them, in case the Master tried to gas the Cabinet members like he had before. It was their job to learn as much as they could about him from there. While he might not give himself away, they might learn more about his plans from how he acted. They could hope, couldn't they?

Rose had the easiest job, relatively speaking. She was the only one who didn't have to do any information gathering. Instead, she made her way to the secret, underground rooms, of which very few knew about. They were so secret, in fact, the elevator didn't even go down to them. Rose had to find the secret staircase and head down to the secret rooms the Master had made sure where built in before the last time he became Prime Minister. The room she headed to was the Master's control room, and looked quite similar to Pete's World's Valiant's main room. She hid somewhere she would be able to get a good view of everything, and the only thing she had left to do was wait for her orders.

-----------------------------------------------------

This left only the Doctor. Alone in his TARDIS, the only thing he had left to do was play the idiot, meaning he was suposed to take off and re-land the TARDIS in the middle of ten Downing Street (while not being too obvious about it) two hours later, at the deadlined time, in hopes he would get caught and distract the Master away from everything else.

Only, the Doctor hadn't counted on one thing. Someone had seen the TARDIS just before it took off, someone who's shouldn't have.

That was when the "simple" plan of the Doctor's officially turned wrong. From that moment, nothing turned out as it was planned.

----------------------------------------------------

On the planet Messaline, the outcome of this incident with the Master was known, though no one could remember how it happened. The Elder did not even know what was to come, only that her job was to stop the Master. Before leaving her beloved planet, the Elder had a quick detour to make.

The Elder walked once more into a room she had been in numerous times before, sometimes for fun, and other times for pleasure. Across the room, she saw two familiar faces, both of which she had come to see before leaving. They were the only two people who had seen her face, as she always wore her cloak whenever she had her few visitors. Now was no different.

She crossed the room and looked between Cline and the Face of Boe. She turned out her cloak pockets, and Cline did the same, a traditional greeting between adults of the planet, though more ceremonial than anything. It was to prove you came with no ill will and was hardly practically in every day life, but this was a special occasion.

"Have a good journey, Elder," Cline said, bowing ever so slightly. The Elder returned the favor, and bowed back, ever so slightly. It was out of respect, because they both knew she would be a changed person once she returned, if ever.

Sensing she wanted to be alone, Cline left the Elder and the Face of Boe to have some privacy. For this, the Elder was glad, as she wanted a moment alone with the her friend before she went against her deepest and most beloved belief.

"I must be going soon," she said.

"I know. I have seen what is to come," the Face of Boe answered telepathically, "and I have something for you."

"Really?" she asked.

"Yes. It is over there," he told her mentally, whilst simultaneously depicting a map in her head for her to follow. She followed his directions and crossed the room to find a secret hiding spot. She opened it and took a brown leather wristband out. She held it gingerly in her hands, then turned back to the Face of Boe, letting her cloak drop so he could see her face one more time.

"Thank you," she said, "but what is it?"

"It is how you will stop the Master. It is set to take you there and bring you back at the exact moments, so do not take it off, not ever. When you are ready to leave here, just push the button," he instructed telepathically.

"I will," she said, a smile across her features. She did not let herself cry. She knew that this was the last time she would ever show her face, even to herself, and she wanted the Face of Boe to remember her like she was now. Therefore, she smiled harder.

"Goodbye, my friend," she said, kissing the glass for which the Face of Boe and his fog where kept safe.

"Goodbye, my Blue M&M," he said, only this was aloud. It made the Elder smile even harder and more sincerely, as she had never heard him speak aloud, not in all the time she had known him.

Then, it was time for her to go. She put on the wristband, and put her hood up. Just as she pressed the button, she heard the Face of Boe's voice echo in her mind.

"You always have a choice," it reminded her. She was glad her hood was up, because she didn't want the Face of Boe to see her disagree. Once she had believed that, but no longer.

She was going to have to kill the Master. There was no choice.

**To Be Continued . . .**


	11. Ch 10: This Wasn't Supposed to Happen

**The Cost of a Box**

**Author: Naomitrekkie**

**Series: The whole Whoniverse, with a focus on Doctor Who**

**Rating: T, because Jack's gotten into my head**

**Synopsis: Only the people on the Valiant remembered the Year That Never Was, or were they? One seemingly crazy girl knows more than she should, but at what cost?**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Doctor Who or the Whoniverse. If I did, Children of Earth would not have made me cry, unless it was tears of joy.**

**A/N: I am really sorry this has taken so long to update and I'm sorry it's short. This chapter has been driving me insane, but I wanted to give you guys something since you've been waiting so patiently. I thank you if you're still reading this.**

**And, OMG, I've finally seen Children of Earth and I've got to say, as much as I cried and wanted to hate it with all my guts, I've got to admit it was flippin' fantastic. Now that that's said, it's time for me to say that as great as the mini-series was, it will not be a part of this story, or the series I'm planning around it. So don't worry Ianto, you're safe with me!! I'd also like to say that I've got a craving to talk about Children of Earth, but none of my few in-the-flesh Whoniverse friends have seen Children of Earth, so I've got no one to talk to about it! PM me if you'd like to discuss it. Please, let's keep spoilers out of the reviews.**

**Thanks again to my readers, I keep writing for you guys!!!!**

**Enjoy!!**

**Chapter 10: This Wasn't Supposed to Happen**

"Arabella, how good to see you," the Master said as his assistant walked up to him the hall. He was heading to his office, having come from the kitchen. He'd wanted another cup of tea. Having spent as long as he had impersonating Donna, he'd grown quite fond of it. "I'm very glad you talked me into keeping the tea-boy. This is the best tea I've had in some time."

"I'm glad, Donna, I hear he even makes a great cup of coffee, but I've got something really important to tell you." She gave him a look of seriousness, one he ignored.

"I saw it."

That was enough to change the Master's carefree attitude. Instantly becoming serious, he led Arabella to his office, where they would be able to talk in privacy.

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Jack and Martha were in "Donna"'s office, trying to search for relevant data while keeping the room looking like it had been when they got there. Quite a task considering how neat and tidy the room had been (that should have been one of the first clues that Donna wasn't herself), but luckily, they only had to look at something and it was recorded in the Hub for John to figure out. Luckily for them, he was as smart as the original, or they would have been in trouble. Trouble, with a capital T.

The had set up a silent warning system to alert them of when anyone as coming into the room, curtsey of the vault, and suddenly the alarm went blaring in their heads, but silent to the rest of the room. Rushing to ensure the room was entirely spick and span, Martha and Jack only just barely managed to get into hiding places that were both well concealed yet allowed for them to get a good look at the mouths of whoever spoke for their lip reading software.

In the room walked Donna Noble and a blonde they had never seen before, or at least didn't remember seeing (the news probably did a report on her somewhere but they couldn't remember every single person they'd ever read about). They knew better than to believe Donna was herself, no, they could tell it was the Master. Jack and Martha recognized him from when they'd met before. He wasn't the sort of person you forgot.

"What did you see?" the Master demanded, not even bothering to sit down behind his desk. Jack had the better view of his mouth and was sure John was receiving every word of this back at the Hub.

"I was preparing the rooms, like you asked, when I heard this sound. It was so strange, so I investigated, and I saw it," the girl told him. Martha noticed she looked slightly terrified as she spoke, something she hoped the translation would pick up.

"You're sure?" the Master asked, panic slightly visible on his features, if Jack looked hard enough. He had a really bad feeling about what this conversation meant and prayed to every deity that he was wrong. Their element of surprise could not be lost. They needed every advantage they could muster.

"Yes, it was a blue box, just like you said, with the words 'Police Public Call Box' written across the top. I didn't see it long, though, it left shortly after I arrived."

Jack did everything in his power to prevent himself from letting his presence known to the Master. It was confirmed that they'd lost the element of surprise, at least partially, and they had to do everything in their power to not get caught. If the Master went on mauve alert, their perception filters would become useless on him, if they weren't already.

"Did you see anyone leave or enter?" he asked.

"No, but it took me a while to find."

The Master stopped to contemplate this and think of his plan of attack. Knowing the Master, anything could happen. The more insane he was, the more unpredictable he became, though the Doctor claimed to be able to predict his moves.

_He's going to call for security;_ he read across the bottom of the Torchwood contacts. He waited a few moments and found John was right. The Master pressed a button on his desk and a secretary or someone similar could be heard on the other side.

"Yes, Ms. Noble?" the lady asked.

"Have Mrs. Jones report to my office," he told the lady, then cut off the connection. Martha began to worry about her family, then tried to tell herself that Jones was a common name. It would be just like the Master to try and use her family this time around, and Martha wanted to make sure they were safe.

It was a few minutes before there was a knock at the door, and a familiar person walking through the door. Jack tried to hold back the gasp when he saw her.

It was Gwen.

She looked different, but not too different. Her hair was worn differently and she seemed to be thinner. Other than that, she looked—and sounded—like his Gwen.

_Except she's not yours, she's Rhys',_ a voice in the back of his mind reminded him. He tried to be happy for her, but it hurt every time he saw her with Rhys. What made it worse was that he knew it was his fault. Not only had he told Gwen to keep a life outside of Torchwood, he had left her and driven her straight into Rhys' arms.

_Focus_, he told himself. He was on a mission and he couldn't get interrupted.

"Yes, Ms. Noble?" Gwen asked, looking ready for anything. Jack noticed that the tight, black security outfit she wore made her look incredibly sexy. Jack needed to stop his thoughts before they found a new level of dirt in the gutter of his mind and kept him from thinking properly.

"We have intruders. I want you to send your men to find them."

"Yes, ma'am. I'll search with them." Gwen turned to leave, but the Master didn't seem to like this idea.

"Mrs. Jones, I hired you to be my personal security guard. I don't want you out of my sight," he said. "I'll have Arabella give your men their orders."

The blonde—Arabella—left the room, leaving just the Master and Gwen. He smiled, then sat down in his chair, as if to relax. Jack was beginning to think he was in the clear when he started giving Gwen orders to guard the door, yadda, yadda, yadda. Jack's blood ran cold when he heard something he hadn't expected.

"But before you do that, I'd like you to deal with the intruder hiding over there." To accompany his words, the Master was pointing.

Straight at Jack.

**To Be Continued . . .**


End file.
